Wild Blue
by Anon1000
Summary: One Piece Fusion Chapter 6: The angry ghost walks the Earth. Let those that created him know true ruin.
1. Shadowplay

**Disclaimer: **The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while

**Wild Blue**

****based on Ranma ½ by Takahashi Rumiko,  
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

_"Inherited Will,_

_The Destiny of the Age,_

_and the Dreams of the People,f_

_These are things that will not be stopped._

_As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom,_

_They will never cease to be!"  
_

_- Gold Roger, the Pirate King_

**Preface**

_I'm not usually one to explain the story before hand, though I think it's best to mention how this story crosses over. This is basically a fusion with the world of One Piece. For those unfamiliar with One Piece, it's a huge oceanic world filled with thousands and thousands of islands. The entire back-story of Ranma ½ still takes place, though it takes place in this new setting. _

_I've shrunk the Ranma 1/2 world down to two islands called Jusenkyo and Nerima and stuck them in the middle of One Piece's oceanic world. So instead of the Ranma ½ series taking place in Japan and China, it takes place in the island of Nerima and the island of Jusenkyo. It affects the story of Ranma ½ very little, actually. The region inhabited by the Joketsuzoku, Musk Dynasty, and Phoenix peoples, is Jusenkyo (the curse springs will be on this isle as well), while the main Ranma 1/2 cast live on Nerima (and with outsiders like Ryu Kumon and the Dojo Destroyer arriving from other One Piece islands). _

_This takes place a few months after the manga in Ranma ½, and just before the Water 7 storyline in the One Piece manga.  
_

_I'm not explaining anymore then that. Everything else will be revealed with the writing.  
_

**Chapter 1**

The winds lightly teased the night air with their cool caress, while the sea water was calm and tranquil; an unusual blessing within the Grand Line. Two ships rocked slowly against the gentle waves, surrounded by the endless blue of ocean.

The smaller of the two ships spiraled slowly and purposelessly around the water. It appeared to be derelict; abandoned, with no crew guiding it. Its hull was part maroon, only half covered with splashes of the red-ebony paint. The rest remained uncoloured, decorated with the texture of wet wood. No sails were raised, though it's black and red flag flapped wildly in the wind, betraying a sense of life to the comatose vessel. The black flag depicted a red skeleton hand, punching upwards in a clenched fist, with red crossbones behind it... It was a pirate's flag.

A pirate's ship.

The second ship was large and imposing, colored in a bright skyblue. In the same azure colour, the word 'Marine' could be read from the many snow-white sails. Numerous cannons were aimed outwards on the sides, marking the larger ship as a formidable weapon. Its white garbed crewman worked quickly and nervously, driving the warship forwards purposely through the water. Clumsily, they maneuvered the bulk of their warship alongside the abandoned pirate vessel.

Ropes snaked down from the Marine ship to derelict caravel, followed by the boarding of six Marine Recruits, each armed with swords and pistols. The ship's captain watched his troop's departure earnestly from the upper deck, his rat-like whiskers twitching as the corners of his mouth break into a sly grin. His rodent like appearance was further enhanced by his head gear: a white hood, with small round mouse ears attached. With his arms crossed behind his white captain's attire, he stood over his ship like a rat huddled over cheese. He paced back and forth irritably, glancing to the den-den-mushi sitting on the center deck table. The snail phone sat placidly, ignoring everything around it.

For the first time in many months, Captain Nezumi was excited. He felt his luck had finally returned. Since the defeat of his _"partner"_ back in his East Blue, fate had dealt him a number of cruel blows. Formally one of the most important parts of the 16th Battalion at his command post back in East Blue, Nezumi and his crew had been enjoying large sums of money from the merman pirate Arlong. In exchange for huge amounts of beli, Nezumi would turn a blind eye to Arlong's piracy, resulting in a very profitable arrangement. It was going good, until a pirate by the name of Straw Hat Luffy walked in and defeated the merman in his own base. With Arlong arrested and carted off to the great fortress-prison of Impel Down, Nezumi was left with his greatest source of income brutally cut off. At least he could thank his stars that Arlong's capture didn't leave his superiors wise to his bribery he was engaged in…

Thinking this the worse of the troubles, Nezumi and his crew continued on, trying other outside "ventures" to reestablish their lost money train. Surprisingly, their situation worsened. Luffy and his crew had taken East Blue by storm, resulting in many of the regions greatest and most dangerous criminals laid low and defeated. As a result, East Blue had, ironically, become quite safe. A need for a strong Marine presence from the World Government was no longer required, resulting in much of the 16th Battalion being downsized and reassigned. And for Nezumi…

Much to the good captain's chagrin, he, his crew, and his faithful warship, the Azure Mouse, were reassigned to the Grand Line.

"Luffy…" Nezumi spat out loud, using the pirates name like a curse word. His hands clenched and shaking, his knuckles white. _It was all his fault…_ "Tch!"

Just thinking about it drove him mad… Spanning the world's entire equator, the tortuous and dangerous region of the Grand Line was the most unstable region of the world. Piracy was rampant, and the extreme weather and magnetic conditions made simple trips and navigation herculean efforts. Giant Sea Kings stalked the seas, easily able to rip apart the greatest ship with ease… So many dangers that Nezumi knew he couldn't handle.

The only thing they had going for them was the Azure Mouse's firepower, and while that would be a great benefit to him back in East Blue, it hardly meant anything in the face of supernatural pirates and sea monsters. As much as he was loath to admit it, he and his crew were far too soft to deal with the rigors of the Grand Line. Their dodging of trouble in East Blue had left them vastly unprepared for surviving the inhospitable region. They had only been serving as a supply ship, having faced no actual combat so far, and they were struggling just to survive _the weather._

But now his luck had finally changed!

"Chechechecheche…" he chuckled, twittering his whiskers. He leaned forward, his hands grasping the wooden rails as he stared greedily down to the waters below, admiring his "prize."

The derelict ship they had found belonged to the Akaken, the Red Fist Pirates. The group of criminals was fairly green as far as Grand Line pirates go, though in the last four months, they had taken this region of waters by storm. Specifically, they attacked only Marine ships, leaving their victims crippled in the water and the naval forces in the area in complete disarray. So much so, that the Grand Line Marine Headquarters issued a combined hundred million beli reward for the entire crew and their mysterious leader.

And here they were, probably dead aboard their own ship. Most likely slain by other, stronger pirates; that's how the Grand Line worked after all!He'd say his crew defeated them, claim their bounties, and with this grand deed on his record, secure himself a promotion to another command outside the Grand Line. And even if he didn't get the promotion, the reward left him in a very good position to retire to the good life!

He cackled gleefully at his future prospects, blissfully unaware of what awaited him. It never occurred to the poor captain that he was walking into a trap.

* * *

The Marine Recruits aboard the Akaken ship clutched their swords and firearms close. Disturbed by the eerie quiet, the boarding mission was beginning to look too much like a Grand Line ghost story for their liking. Their search of the upper decks was fruitless, as well as the cabins. So far, the small caravel was, was completely deserted. There were no corpses to bring back, not even a sign of a struggle. Nothing.

The six man team continued on their search to the lower decks, the bleak darkness making them even more nervous. One of the Recruits summoned his courage, and decided that maybe calling out wasn't such a bad idea.

"Anyone here?" he shouted out. He clutched the hilt of his sword tightly, suddenly having a very bad feeling, "This is Seaman Izumi of the 16th Battalion!"

His call was answered.

A small light flooded the hold, revealing two figures reclining in the dark of the under deck. The Marines scrambled to bring their weapons to bear, quickly trying to assess the newcomers.

Standing before them was a young woman holding a lit match in between her fingers, with a shadowy man next to her. Standing confidently, the women had short hair, and was wearing what looked to be vacation wear: a flowery tank top as a shirt, denim jean shorts to serve as leg wear, and simple sandals at her feet. She was beautiful, though that beauty had an allure of danger to it. The harsh blinking of the match's light only served to enhance this.

Next to her stood a dark-haired man, shadowed slightly in the darkness. With a sword and a scabbard at his waist, he appeared to be the real threat of the two. Wearing a plain pair of white pants and brown boots, he had no shirt. Instead, wrapped around him like a trench coat was what once might have been a dark blue hakama.

The girl next to him gives a snide chuckle. "Pay up, Kuno-chan," she giggled. "They _were _dumb enough to tie up next to us."

The man responded with a snort, "It seemed too obvious a trap, my lady." He turns his attention away from her, and regarded the marines coldly. "One would expect our chosen nemesis to operate with some sense."

At the insult, one of the Marine Recruit jostled his pistol threateningly, finally finding courage. There were only two pirates after all, and they outnumbered them with six! "Stand down! You're under arrest for acts of piracy!"

'Kuno-chan' bristled. "Such impertinence!" Taking a step forward and drawing a long, curved katana from the scabbard at his waist, the inexperienced marines instantly tensed. Now closer to the light, it's easier to see the swordsman now; tall and well chiseled features with hard muscles coiled like steel. Handling the sword with practiced ease, he dropped to a ready stance.

The women smiled and turned away, disregarding the ship's invaders. "Try to keep it clean, Tate. We just swabbed." At that, she tossed the match over her shoulder, sauntering off as darkness engulfed the room once again.

The Marines froze in their confusion, when suddenly a swift, harsh breeze flowed through the room as the man rushed the darkness. Several men screamed as steel ripped through them. The clang of steel rang in the air as a few managed to muster a quick defense. The loud explosion of the marine pistols roared in response, but in the darkness, none of the bullets struck true.

The cool steel of the katana sliced through them, and then there was silence.

* * *

Two, invaders scurried silently above the Azure Mouse, lost in the moonlight. They scaled the sails and swung from mast to mast, completely undetected by the jovial Marines below.

One of the invaders watched the marines bumble below her, as she fingered her free hand through her short hair. She was wearing simple black boots and baggy black pants. A loose yellow martial arts gi served as a shirt, with a sheathed katana strapped to her back. A headband was tied across her forehead, pulling her hair out of her eyes

Tendo Akane wasn't very impressed with the Marine's actions so far, and was shocked at the Marines eagerness. Worried by the firepower of the Marine ship, they decided it'd be best to set a trap. They'd play dead in the water, and draw them close enough to board, and then board the Marine ship themselves. She had doubts about the plan set, but the greedy Marines didn't hesitate to tie up to their defunct ship, too eager to claim what they thought was an impressive prize. They were the most foolhardy target yet.

_Weaklings and fools, _she thought with contempt. _These couldn't be the one of the ones that…_ she shook he head, banishing the darks thoughts and refocusing herself on her task. Hidden in the sails opposite to her, she signaled to Konatsu to proceed. The black garbed ninja was much better at swinging through the shadows unseen, and following his lead made the most sense to her. She struggled to keep her aura tight and controlled, using the stealth techniques taught to her by Uncle Saotome.

They moved closer, silently scaling the sails and mast. She spied a white coated man, with huge kanji for the word "Justice" spread across the back of his captain's jacket. He was pacing excitedly in front of a portable den-den-mushi laid out on table in the center of the deck. Maps and papers were scattered about the table, making it obvious the captain preferred to work outdoors tonight. He wasn't alone, surrounded by a dozen Marine Recruits all armed with swords at their waist. They were talking excitedly, about how they could finally get off this ship and back to East Blue, see their sweethearts back home, visit their famili… She ignored the rest of the conversation in disgust, and swung herself off the sail she was climbing. Grasping the nearest mast, she used her phenomenal strength to gouge her fingers straight into the wood.

With her grip secured, Akane signaled to Konatsu, ordering him to hold position. The slender ninja nodded, and settled himself onto the mast adjacent her. He hung off it like a spider, somehow finding hold with just the touch of his fingers.

With his black ninja garb and his long hair pulled back into a more masculine ponytail, Konatsu looked much more like a young man then he previously did months before. While still undeniably beautiful, he came across more as girly man then an actual female. Coiled around his arm was a long chain, connected to a small scythe that he palmed in his hand.

While still gripping the mast with one hand, he removed the kusarigama from his arm, and wrapped the chain tightly around his waist like a belt, stowing the scythe end of the weapon in the process. The meaning of this action wasn't lost to Akane; these marines weren't worth using weapons on. She already knew she wasn't going to bother with her own sword.

Patiently, she waited for Nabiki and Kuno's signal. Once the boarders were dealt with and the signal sent, she'd commence her attack on the Marine ship. She didn't know what the signal would be, but trusted her sister to be resourceful enough to figure something out.

"Bububububububu!" the den-den-mushi started to beep, rocking on the table in excitement. Nezumi nearly tripped over himself rushing for the snail phone and nearly fumbled it. He finally grasped the receiver and brought it to his mouth.

"Report! What happened to the pirates?"

The mouth of the snail phone twitched, and curled into a sly grin. Looking quite sinister, the den-den-mushi answered in an undeniably female voice, "Akane, our guests have been taken care of. Have at it."

Akane smiled, overhearing the snail. She nodded to Konatsu, and dropped from the mast. As gravity plummeted her quickly to the deck below, she pulled back her hand, readying to strike the deck with her fist…

"KIYAAA!"

A huge CRACK filled everyone's ears as her fist touched down. The deck exploded, sending wood splintering in all directions. Captain Nezumi and several other Marine Recruits were thrown back with the force of the blow, not knowing what hit them. Recovering quickly, Akane bounced lightly over the mess of her punch, and relentlessly leveled two more marines with a wide roundhouse kick.

It was chaos, as loud cries of "Pirates!" and "Intruder!" erupted around the deck, many Marines scrambled to draw there weapons. Akane quickly rushed another group of Marines, and sent them flying with a fierce combo of punches and kicks. Like an angry dragon on a rampage, they all fell before her.

Konatsu soon joined the battle a moment later, easily felling the remaining Marines with his swiftness. Where Akane was unstoppable force, Konatsu fought with more subtly. He danced around his opponents, striking swiftly and concisely. Few could follow his movements as he darted across the deck.

Nezumi pulled himself up again while drawing the sword stored at his hip, ready to decapitate the outlaw that had laid him low. Konatsu rolled up behind him, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, surprised, to find a disturbingly beautiful face staring at him. Shocked, Nezumi never had a chance to respond as the black clad youth pulled back his hand and struck him viciously in the chest. Nezumi spat blood, and stumbled clutching his chest. His ribs shook heavily as he struggled to breath.

Collapsing himself on the railing overlooking the lower deck, he was treated to an extraordinary sight: Engaged in mortal combat with his crew on the lower deck is a giant panda bear. The bear howled and roared, tossing aside huge groups of Marines with incredible strength. Despite its size, it moved with the grace of martial arts master, easily deflecting the attacking marines. Perturbed at the sight, the good captain fell backwards, allowing the pain in his chest to overtake him into unconsciousness.

The battle didn't last much longer. The Marines of the Azure Mouse, unused to combat, were easily decimated by the Akaken pirates. In a short time, over two dozen Marine sailors lay defeated.

Akane stood solemnly for a few moments, contemplating her next move. Konatsu gave her a thoughtful look. "Captain… Akane-sama," he began.

Akane just nodded, almost coldly. "Go. If you find where…" she began, before she choked on her words, "Go. I'll check here," she managed, gesturing to the scattered remains of Nezumi's paperwork. Their attack had smashed the table in the center, scattering documents all over the deck.

Konatsu smiled, and nodded happily, before taking off to search the ship. Akane turned her attention to the panda on the deck below her. The huge bear was going through the pockets of defeated Marines, probably looking for spare Beli. "OYAGI!" she called out, clearly annoyed. "Go inside and scavenge something more useful then pocket change!"

Genma, the panda looked insulted for a moment, and then nodded before sauntering off. Regarding the scattered pile of papers again, Akane grimaced. _There's so much of it…_

With a sigh, she began to paw through the scattered documents, arranging some and tossing others aside like garbage. "Bureaucracy..." she mumbled, annoyed. Pounding the ground in frustration, her eye just barely caught something of interest. She hesitantly grasped the single piece of paper, and began to read.

"Prisoner transfer forms?" she questioned aloud. Feeling a little hopeful for the first time in awhile, she began to read, completely immersed.

"Is everyone all right, Captain?" a voice behind questioned. Akane tensed for a moment, before recognizing the voice that belonged to Dr. Tofu.

Annoyed, she heaved a sigh and regarded him. He was wearing his usual dress, with his medical bag slung over his shoulder. "I thought you didn't want to be a part of this," she responded, coldly.

The doctor looked embarrassed for a moment before frowning. "I don't want to be involved in… this, doesn't mean I'm not willing to help out in my own way."

"But how can you-!" Akane growled, stopping herself short. Anger was etched strongly on her features. She closed her eyes, trying to will the madness away. After a few breaths, she succeeded. Turning her attention back to the paper, she held the sheet out to Dr. Tofu.

"I found something," she announced, as a slow smile crept its way onto her face. The doctor grasped the sheet of paper, and read it slowly. His eyes bulged suddenly.

"A prisoner carried from Nerima!" his hands around the paper tightened, crumpling it slightly. "It could be them!"

Akane's smile faltered slightly. "It could, but…" Her eyes met the floor, her brown orbs suddenly looking very tired. "There's only one prisoner listed… If it's him, then that means…"

His expression became grave, his earlier excitement gone. "It means Konatsu's suspicions are correct."

The two spent the next few moments in silence. A couple Marines groaned, preparing to leave unconsciousness, only to be smashed back asleep by Akane. Konatsu returned shortly after, very excited.

"Akane-sama! Akane-sama!" he called as he ran towards them from the inner cabins of the ship, waving a thick booklet over his head. "You'll never believe what I found!"

Akane crossed her arms, looking interested. "What is it?"

The feminine shinobi smiled brightly as he approached. "It's the passenger and crew manifest!" He opened the booklet, and showed it to Akane, his finger pointing at a certain name. Akane and Tofu gasped.

In clear, bold hand writing, the name _Kuonji_ _Ukyo _could be clearly read, with the marking of 'passenger'right beside it. "Ukyo. It was them," Akane said sternly. "They were here."

Konatsu looked confused at Akane's dour expression. "I don't understand, Akane-sama. Aren't you pleased? We can soon find-"

Cutting Konatsu off, Akane pulled the book from his hand, "His name isn't on here." Stabbing her finger at the box below Ukyo's in the booklet, Akane continued, "Look, the name next to Ukyo's. No name is listed, just a number. I think it's a prisoner number."

Konatsu looked troubled and was about to say something, but Akane didn't stop there. "I also found this…" she sighed, gesturing to the earlier prisoner transfer paper. She handed it to him, letting the shinobi study it for a few minutes. "Even the date matches…"

The ninja's troubled expression transformed into one of horror as he studied the sheet. "A... Prisoner… from Nerima!" He looked like he was ready to cry. "I had suspected, with what I had seen… But… I had hoped! Ranma-san was…"

Akane closed her eyes, not wanting to hear what was coming. She had denied the possibility before, hoping against all hope that her home and family had not been… had not been… She stifled her tears, refusing to show weakness.

Konatsu did not need to finish his sentence, as Tofu did it for him. "Ukyo kidnapped Ranma. She sided with the Marines…" He looked down, disappointed and saddened.

Akane snapped to attention suddenly, her eyes lit with a bright fire and her expression hardened in determination. "Now we find out why. Let's wake the captain."

* * *

Captain Nezumi basked in the sunlight, as beautiful courtesans attended his every whim. His Victory over the Akaken pirates had secured him the promotion to Commodore, and with the reward money he was finally able to buy that summer island in South Blue he always wanted! And now he was living the good life. He twittered is rat like whiskers and laughed heartily as he leaned into the courtesan fanning him, ready to give her a passionate kiss…

"HENTAI!" SLAP!

Nezumi jostled awake, pain stinging his cheek. He searched his memory, trying to remember what was going on, where he was. Finding himself back on his ship, and surrounded by three strangers, he remembered…

Pirates!

He gave a startled cry and tried to scramble backwards only to find himself pressed against the wooden railings of his ship. Surrounding him were the pirates from before. He recognized the young man who struck him, as well the short haired girl who had smashed his deck like a cannon ball… But the third figure was a stranger. He was dressed in a dark martial arts gi and plain wooden sandals. He also wore glasses, with his hair was pulled into a short ponytail. He stared at the sky impassively, as if in deep thought.

"You pervert! Trying to kiss me!" the short haired girl accused. She stabbed a long, black katana at the tip of his nose, causing Nezumi to squeak in dismay. She looked quite ready to plunge it through his skull. "Perverts and murderers! Don't you Marines have any morals!"

The feminine young man next to her looked on with great worry. "Akane-sama! Please! We need him alive to answer our questions!"

Nezumi began blubbering immediately. "I'm sorry!" he whined. "I'll answer anything, just pleasedon'tkillme! Please, please!" He had no idea what he had done, but was willing to agree to anything to stop the maniac pirate from stabbing him in the head.

Akane closed her eyes, and removed the sword from the Marine's nose. She replaced the sword in her scabbard at her back, and opened her eyes. The red fury was gone from them, though she still she gave the Captain a hard glare before speaking. "Three months ago you transferred a prisoner. Describe him."

Nezumi blinked hard. This was about that prisoner he was forced to carry? In the face of all of resources aboard the Azure Mouse, it seemed so… unimportant. Still, it was his life on the line… He twitched at the reminder of the katana in his face.

"It wasn't a him, it was her," he began.

"Her?" Akane looked worried.

Konatsu caught her apprehension and interrupted, "Ranma-sama was in his Jusenkyoform when I saw them last, Akane-sama. It could still be him."

Nezumi looked confused, but didn't say anything. He continued, "I didn't see her much, only when she had to be… _restrained."_

Akane's cold glare bore through him, and he flinched once more. "Restrained?" she questioned.

He squeeked in response, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Drugged. We were advised to keep her sedated, as she was supposed to be quite dangerous. Sometimes she'd fight." He took a hesitant glance at the girl, and squeeked again as she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Her appearance. Describe it."

"Red hair, in a pig...pig…pigtail! That's all I remember! Pleasedon'tkillme!"

The shorthaired girl smirked, her eyes narrowing as she began to stroke the hilt. "Maybe. Where did you transfer her?"

Nezumi was quivering now. "Captain Hina took her!" he burst.

Dr. Tofu interrupted the interrogation for the first time. He looked worried. "Hina? As in Hina the Black Cage?"

Nezumi frantically nodded, and Tofu's scowl deepened. Akane looked worried as well. "She's famous..." she murmured, looking down crest. "Where'd she take the prisoner?

"Glade's Peaks! She's going to Glade's Peaks! Please! It's biggest military port in the region, the only place she could go with the size of the squadron she has!"

Akane looked at him quizzically for a moment, and drew her sword once again. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Nezumi screamed, and tried to scramble up. Akane stepped forward, and placed her foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground. "PLEASE! I'm telling the truth! Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"

Dr. Tofu placed a firm hand on Akane's shoulder. "AKANE! That's enough! He's telling the truth!"

Akane turned to the doctor and eyed him cruelly. She replaced her katana, and threw his hand off her shoulder. "I KNOW! But I had to be sure…" She stepped in front of Dr. Tofu, close enough that only he could hear, and whispered so tightly it was almost a hiss, "I'm no murderer." Konatsu looked on worried, fearful of a fight breaking out between the two.

Tofu staggered backwards, looking ashamed. "I'm… sorry…" His eyes met the ground. Akane turned away, her own brown orbs blinking away tears. Konatsu relaxed, slumping his shoulders. Nezumi was completely out of it, too terrified to notice the exchange.

Genma returned shortly after, interrupting the awkward silence. A huge sack hung off the panda's back, packed high with goods. He looked quite proud of himself.

Akane welcomed the change in mood, and laughed. "And just how much of that is food?"

The panda beamed proudly and thrust up a wooden sign covered in text. 'All of it!' He spun the sign around, revealing more writing on the other side. 'Except this!' it read, as he tossed a small ball from his paw to Konatsu. The ninja boy caught and studied it carefully. Akane leaned in close to see what it was as well.

It was glass sphere, filled with water, and a single needle was mounted inside. The needle only ever pointed in one direction, no matter how Konatsu turned it in his hand. Labeled on the glass ball, was the text that read "Glades Peaks." It was an Eternal Pose, Akane realized − a Grand Line compass that forever pointed towards one island and one island only. They were quite valuable, compared to Log Poses, which were always erratic in the islands they pointed to. Worth quite a lot of beli, it was no wonder Genma grabbed.

Akane beamed happily, "Oyagi! This is perfect!" The panda straightened proudly, scratching the back of his head at the compliment. "We found Ranma…" she continued, and pointed her finger at the Pose, "and this is where he is."

The panda's eyes bulged in surprise. He quickly moved forward and embraced the girl in a fierce hug. Akane squealed in surprise, not prepared for the sudden display of affection. The corners of her mouth twisted into a grin. _We'll find everyone, and put our family back together yet…_

The bear released her, and Akane turned to everyone, "Come on everyone. Let's get back to the ship before these dolts wake up." She gestured to the masses of the defeated Marine soldiers, and chuckled. The Akaken began to filter out of the ship to their own, leaping off the sides into their own below

Nezumi finally recovered from his earlier interrogation and called after Akane before she was about to leap back to her own boat. "WAIT! Our Eternal Pose!" He scrambled off the deck, and stumbled towards her. "Without the Eternal Pose we have no way of navigating our way back to port! We'll be trapped!"

Akane regarded the man coldly, looking confused. She pointed to the den-den-mushi lying not far from his feet. "Call for help, then. The pose is ours."

Nezumi blinked. He COULD call for help… But then his humiliating defeat would be known by his superiors, and on his record. He could be looking at a demotion instead of the promotion he desired. So far, the taking of the Pose was the only thing the Pirates had done that he couldn't recover from…

"It's more of a chance then you bastards deserve…" Akane continued. She leveled her furious glare at him once more, causing the mouse like man to quiver. Akane stepped towards him, and he squealed, skittering backwards. She swiftly moved forward, struck him in the jaw. The good captain collapsed, unconscious once more.

She spat on him. "It's more of a chance then you gave Nerima..."

To be continued…  
_What happened to Nerima?  
_

**_Authors notes:_** R/R please! I do enjoy constructive criticism, but since this is the first fanfic I've written in four years, don't be _too_ harsh. Lots of reviews would be especially encouraging.

To be honest, I'm not expecting this to hit off with the usual action/adventure crossover crowd. The crew I chose is not exactly the Ranma all-stars, as I filled its ranks with the more unpopular characters. I'll probably get some points from my fellow tomboy fans for Captain Akane but, Tofu, Konatsu, Genma, Kuno? Nobody likes those guys!

I'm sure a lot of people would like to see Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyo, Ryouga, and Mousse as a crew, but that's not happening. Don't like it? Tough. The typical Ranma all star-pirate crew wouldn't have taken the story to places I wanted it to go, anyways (Heck, I think the typical Ranma pirate ship crew would sink before it left port… Heh). However, that's not to say characters outside the crew won't be featured later. They're just not all going to be in the same faction.

As for the One Piece side of things, expect many "off screen" characters to show up. Many protagonists will make their way into the story, and they won't be as crappy as Nezumi was. Don't expect to see the Straw Hat Pirates until much later. They should be busy in Skypiea as things are happening here.

**Things to consider**

Den-den-mushi: Den-den-mushi are the snail phones used in One Piece's world. Instead of speakers, they use talking snails to broadcast sound. The snail's voice sounds like whoever is talking through it on the other end. They're rather cute, especially when they ring, "Bubububububu!"

Captain Nezumi: Captain Nezumi was from the Arlong Park storyline. He was corrupt and wicked, and took bribes from the Arlong to turn a blind eye to his crimes. He gets the crap beaten out of him by the Straw Hats, but after that you never hear what happened to him. He seemed to be the perfect throw away character to use here.

Akaken: Akaken means "Red Fist." This follows the One Piece theme of pirate crews being named after their captains. Since Akane's name means 'Scarlet,' the name seemed appropriate.

The bounty: I'm sure 100,000,000 seems like quite a lot to you One Piece fans (it's the equivalent of Luffy's bounty), but keep in mind it's for the ENTIRE crew. The World Government knows very little about Akane and her crew yet, and they don't know enough to assign a bounty to any one person. All they know is that they're in their ships, kicking their dudes. If they had individual bounties, they'd be much smaller.

**More Things (AKA My author's notes are way too long)  
**I need some beta-readers. I don't have many friends who like Ranma, let alone ones willing proof-read Ranma fanfiction. Some intelligent readers willing to do some proof reading and bounce ideas off of would be quite welcome.**  
**


	2. The Shape of Things to Come

**Disclaimer: **The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while.

**Wild Blue**

**By Kyle  
**based on Ranma ½ by Takahashi Rumiko,  
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

**Chapter 2**

"_It's been nearly four months since it happened, and we're still not sure why the Marines did what they did. On both an economic and political level, it makes no sense at all. Nerima was a jewel in the Grand Line; a pillar of stability most Grand Line isles could only hope for. With so many other islands surrounding us, we were the center of the economy. So what did the World Government expect to accomplish through destroying it through a Buster Call? _

_The official reason that we've learned since then was quarantine. Supposedly the South Blue Tzehara virus had broken out in Nerima, and extreme measures were to be taken. Yet, there was no plague, no dying… Life in Nerima went on as we knew it. The fact that Cipher Pol agents were investigating the island days prior to the Marine bombardment is also highly suspicious. Their coming in those few days was highly frequent, so would they not have been at risk of this imaginary virus?_

_Regardless of the reasons, finding what remains of our families is a priority. New information has set us on the trail for Ranma, and while I don't fault my sister for choosing to pursue her fiancé, it's my hope that the quest for Ranma will shed more light on the missing refugee ship carrying our sister."_

_- An excerpt from the journal of Nabiki Tendo_

Nabiki poked her chopsticks into her food and huffed. It wasn't that the food was bad (on the contrary, it was quite tasty), it's just that there was so little. She pouted, and glared at Konatsu, who was happily serving his meal to the rest of the crew.

They were all gathered in their ship's small dining hall, each seated around a small, circular table. Tiny bowls of rice with plates of pickles and fish were all that was available. Genma stared down at the meager portions in horror, while Kuno glared at his own bowl defiantly. Tofu and Akane tried to maintain polite smiles, though Akane's was constantly twitching into the beginnings of a frown.

"Konatsu," Nabiki began, her voice tight as steel, "Did the Panda not bring back a huge load of food back last night?"

"Yes, Tendo-san," Konatsu replied obliviously, his voice full of pep. A frilly pink apron was tied around his waste, doing little for his masculinity. "Saotome-san brought back quite a bit."

"And why are we not eating this big pile of food right now?" Her tone was even and controlled, though her left eye twitched in irritation. "Why are we still eating PICKLES AND RICE?"

Konatsu squeaked as Nabiki raised her voice. "I'm sorry, Tendo-san. I've always been very bad at cooking large portions, and I thought we'd want to conserve our food stores, so we're not always hungry like before−"

"But I'm hungry now!"

"Nabiki!" Akane admonished. "He's only trying to help. We shouldn't be wasting all our food at once, anyways!" She tried to look supportive for Konatsu, though the loud rumble of her stomach betrayed her. Nabiki raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, making Akane blush deeply.

"As admirable as our cook's frugalness is, a warrior and a man needs more then rice and pickles to sustain him!" Kuno sniffed and turned his nose to the air, crossing his arms in defiance at the same time.

Genma took the opportunity to swipe Kuno's rice from under him, before adding his own input, "Too true! A Martial Artist must be strong in both body and mind!" He leaned in for Nabiki's pickle, and she absentmindedly stabbed her chopstick into his hand. He squealed in pain and pulled his aching hand back to his own spot at the table.

Konatsu's face burned red in shame. This many people had never been angry at him before (at least, before he escaped his step family). He had never been very good at preparing large meals, to used to being frugal while living in poverty. He felt rotten; they were all hungry because of him…

Tofu coughed a little, hoping to defuse some tension. "We don't have a fridge, do we?"

Konatsu looked stunned for a moment before he replied, "No… We don't."

"Well then, you'd better cook more of it before it goes bad. Wouldn't want it to go to waste," Tofu supplied helpfully.

The ninja's eyes widened in realization, and he scrambled for his cooking supplies. The stove behind him lit to life as he gathered more food and vegetables in his arms. Pots clanged as everybody settled down to their seats. The ninja hummed happily as he quickly prepared a better dinner, his earlier embarrassment gone.

"Speaking of fridges, the Blue Thunder is missing quite a bit of hardware," Nabiki began, twirling the chopsticks in her hand. "Most ships have an ice crystal fridge for long voyages. Our food goes bad too quickly."

"Hardware is not the only thing the ship needs," Genma said with a nod. "We've managed to raid the essentials, but construction on the Blue Thunder was never finished when we took off."

Konatsu left the stove for a moment, twisting his head back to speak. "Must we keep calling it the Blue Thunder? It seems like a silly name for a ship when we're called the Akaken Pirates…"

Kuno huffed as he nibbled on his remaining pickle. "Bad enough to replace me as Captain of my own ship, you wish to take its name from me as well?"

"It's considered an ill omen to rename a ship," Genma replied sagely, as he adjusted his glasses. "Disaster is said to meet crews who sail on a vessel−"

Nabiki cut him off. "Regardless of the name, if we're serious about going to Glades to find Ranma..." Kuno looked ready to object, but Nabiki didn't miss a beat, "and the pigtailed girl, I'd feel better if we had this tinker fixed up first before we sail into a Marine hotspot."

Akane nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. We're not exactly in the best position to be infiltrating marine ports. Even if we pull the flag down, what if they recognize us? One cannon ball and we're done."

"Kuno-chan," Nabiki said, turning to the swordsman, "is there anywhere nearby to stock up? Perhaps get repairs?"

Kuno frowned and shook his head. "The Grand Line is a hazard to navigate, Nabiki Tendo." He paused, taking another bowl of rice as Konatsu placed another tray of them at the table. "We have two destinations we can take. Using the Eternal Pose, we can travel to Glades Peaks. Or we can use our own Log Pose, and follow it to wherever it leads."

Akane listened to him uneasily. She didn't trust Kuno. The two had an undeniably bad history; he had made her school life hell with his challenges and offers of dates and still "wooed" her from time to time on the ship. Of recent, he spent a surprising amount of time with Nabiki, and had become very irritable and sarcastic. The current search for Ranma did not appeal to him at all, and though she had not much choice at the time, she knew that her taking the role of captain stung heavily at his world view. She liked to think she was doing a good job as a leader, and though he never complained about her personally, she expected she would always have his silent disapproval. Kuno was the one crew member she had to keep her fiery temper in check with.

Despite that, he was one of them, regardless of their past experiences. They were the few survivors Nerima, and they were the closest thing Kuno still had to a family.

He was also the closest thing they had to a navigator at the moment. While Nabiki herself was learning, Kuno had a surprising amount of sea and sailing training already available. The ship itself belonged to him (or his family, rather), and he was the only one aboard who knew how to sail it. She had learned before the attack on Nerima, he had considered on enlisting in the Marines after completing his education, and even mused at the possibility of taking his sword skills to the sea and becoming a pirate hunter. '_The irony,' _she chuckled to herself

"We could try our luck with the Log Pose," he continued from before, between gulps of rice. "The chances of it leading to a place that will have the services we require are uncertain. Personally, I'd prefer to travel to Glades Peaks immediately. Defeating Saotome and freeing the pigtailed girl must not wait a moment longer!"

Akane growled at that, and Genma snorted. Nabiki just looked surprisingly sad… Even though Kuno was familiar with Genma's panda curse, he still refused to believe Ranma and the 'pigtailed girl' were one and the same. Also, she had recently realized how important Ranma was to her, and didn't approve of Kuno spontaneously insulting him.

She wondered how Kuno would react when they finally rescued Ranma, but… She banished that thought from her mind. They'd cross that bridge when they got there.

Konatsu dropped a plate of seared fish down on the table suddenly, and sat down himself, removing the frilly apron. "Ranma-sama was a part of Nerima, too, Kuno-san! You should speak better of him!" he chided.

Kuno snorted, but otherwise remained silent.

Tofu, who had been minding his own meal until now, spoke up, "I'm low on medical supplies, and I'd welcome a chance to restock. Getting yourselves hurt playing revenge is not a good idea right now."

Akane's temper was again irked, and she gritted her teeth. "We're not going to Glades for revenge," she replied firmly. "We're going for Ranma."

Tofu looked embarrassed, but managed to compose himself. "Of course. But I don't want to see anyone here hurt because I didn't have enough bandages or something silly."

Akane had once admired the Dr. Tofu for his kindness and gentleness, but it was now the same kindness that drove her up the wall. She could forgive him for choosing not to fight, but he often spoke out against their assaults and raids, believing them acts of revenge. It was the raids that kept them fed, and it was with the raids that they had learned Kasumi might have escaped the Buster Call alive. And on their most recent raid they had finally gotten information on Ranma's whereabouts.

'_Can't he see that I'm trying to fix everything?' _she thought, sadly. Revenge wasn't a factor for her, but the World Government still deserved whatever they dished out against them.

He also did not like the pirate idea at all. In truth, Akane fancied her small group as more of freedom fighters than pirates, though they raised the flag of skull and crossbones as an act of defiance anyways. Gold Roger once said the only way to be free was to live under the crossbones of a pirate flag, and it was certainly the path for most people in the 'Age of Dreams.' Ironic that the pursuit for such freedom made you an outlaw.

Turning her thoughts back to the current issue, she was inclined to agree with Kuno, for different reasons. She missed Ranma terribly, and wanted to rush the ship to Glades. She missed his carefree attitude, his boyish smile, and his rock solid determination. It'd be so much easier with him by her side. What if they took too long? What if they… Considering the possibility of failure, of loss… It was just too much for her. She just hoped Ukyo's involvement meant he was still safe somehow. She wouldn't walk her childhood friend to the slaughter, would she?

Regardless, as much as she wanted to find Ranma as soon as possible, everyone's safety was also a factor. Medical supplies were a must, and even a fresh coat of paint could make the Blue Thunder indistinguishable enough to infiltrate Glades.

She took a deep breath, and turned to Kuno. "Your best guess, Kuno. How long to follow the Log Pose?"

The swordsman tilted his head thoughtfully, "I cannot say for sure, fair tigress. Our pose stabilized quite quickly. A few days, maybe? A week? If there were extra magnetic variables in the weather, as much as a year. One can never say in the Grand Line."

Akane closed her eyes and knit her fingers together in contemplation. She sat for a few moments, before deciding her course of action. "Follow the Log Pose. If we don't arrive in a few days, or if it's uninhabited, we'll turn around and head for Glades."

* * *

"Ah, think you for coming to our aid, Captain T-Bone. The pirates left us… distraught." 

Nezumi rubbed his hands together nervously. Help had come for him and his crew; however this event did not bring the captain joy. He was in a tight spot, as T-Bone would soon be making a report regarding Nezumi to Marine Base G2 via den-den-mushi.

It didn't help that the captain sent after him was unbelievably terrifying. He almost preferred the pirates. Almost.

Captain T-Bone looked more like a dried corpse then a man, and was as ugly as he was tall. He was slightly round and rotund, though he moved with a grace that betrayed his size. He had no nose, just too small holes on his face, and his skin was a pale green color. Nezumi absentmindedly wondered if he was part merman.

His teeth were stained yellow, and he had a huge gap in his mouth where a tooth was missing. He wore a centurion helm on his head, and heavy chain mail around his chest. Slung across his back was a huge bastard sword, with his captain's jacket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape.

What bothered Nezumi the most, however, was that someone who looked so ghastly could also be so _jovial _at the same time. "The pleasure was all mine, Captain Nezumi," T-Bone replied, almost excited. "It is the duty of a Captain to come to the aid of his peers when they are in need."

_Peers!_ Nezumi wanted to laugh. Even though their rank was the same, T-Bone and his abilities eclipsed Nezumi a thousand times over. He certainly couldn't split ships in half with his sword.

T-Bone continued to pace the deck, as if inspecting every inch. "The ruffians that did this to you… You mentioned the Akaken."

"Oh, yes, Captain." Nezumi seethed at the memory. He'd have his revenge. "Their captain was a crazy, demonic bitch! She and her five accomplices are all against the govern−"

"Please, your report of the vagrants should be made to HQ and not to myself, Nezumi-san," T-Bone interrupted. "I am just investigating the events which transpired."

Nezumi knew full well what that meant: He was the one being investigated, not the pirates. He bit his lip, nervously. T-Bone's report to Vice-Admiral Komir would decide the future of him and his crew. He had been trying to his best to leave T-Bone with a good impression, and he had nearly lost it in his anxious anger. Luckily, it seemed T-Bone was friendly to a fault.

"Apologies, Captain T-Bone. Several members of my crew were murdered by the hellions." He shuddered, remembering how they had recovered the remains of the boarding party from the water. "To want to see that the bitch gets what's coming to her is only natural."

The zombie-like Captain gave Nezumi a wide, toothless grin at his nervousness, before breaking out in merry laughter. He slapped Nezumi on the back, nearly sending the mouse-like man crashing down. "Do not worry, friend. My report will be favorable. Your ship was not the only victim of Akane the Red."

Nezumi breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing that T-Bone had known his nemesis by name. "Pardon?" Nezumi asked. "Has a new bounty already been issued?"

"Not yet, but enough information has finally come together to muster a strong offense against the demoness. She leaves many witnesses." T-Bone then laughed loudly, his deep baritone making Nezumi quiver. "Yes, soon, she will be known, and she will face True Justice."

* * *

_Two months ago…_

Darkness. It was his whole world. The shadows were his only companions as he weaved in and out of waking and sleeping, in and out of dream and nightmare.

Consciousness. His mind crawled out of the haze, returning to a partial lucidity. Thought and reason began to return to her, though the dream threatened to retake her. She was female at the moment, she realized. Unfortunate, but hardly the main concern.

Anger. She remembered betrayal. That was why she was here. She had been betrayed. She was caged, and now she was a prisoner. Her arms and legs were shackled tightly, pinning her firmly against the wall.

Focus. It was too easy to slip back into the darkness, to the dreams. She had to fight… She had to stay awake. Fight the haze. Her person, she decided, she would focus on her person. Her bright smile, her sunny brown eyes… The mere memory lit her heart ablaze in the darkness. She kept her afloat at times like this.

Sounds. A door opening, footsteps approaching. She was no longer alone.

Light. It flooded her world, suddenly, stabbing at her eyes. She squeezed them shut and turned her head away, ignoring the bright rectangle of light that opened in front of her.

She shifted her glare to the white shine pouring from the door, forcing her vision to adjust to the light. She made out three figures in the glow. Two of them spoke, but she was too addled to distinguish what the voices were saying. Her mind desperately wanted to return to the dream, but she fought the desire away.

Her vision stabilized, and she could make out three figures. A tall woman, dressed in red. She was unfamiliar, though she was quite beautiful. Her hair was a strange color of platinum blonde, with a twinge of pink. She took a drag off her cigarette as she spoke to the man next to her. All her mannerisms radiated pride and class.

Beside her was… Him. The true jailor. Always present, always leering at her, watching her like a hawk watches his prey. She would kill him, the prisoner decided. This was because of him, all of it. She was sure.

He was an elderly man, tall and thin, with his snow white hair swept back like the tail feathers of a bird. He wore a black overcoat, with a black shirt and white tie underneath. He stood strong and moved gracefully despite his age, and radiated a quiet inner strength. The prisoner already knew better than to underestimate the elderly…

She examined the final figure… Ukyo. She would not meet the prisoner's gaze, and stared hard at the ground, her eyes hidden behind her long, chestnut bangs.

"Ucchan," she croaked, her voice hoarse. "Come on… Don't do this!" _Redeem yourself. Be my friend again._

Ukyo flinched, though she would still not look up to meet her gaze… Could not meet her gaze… The prisoner barely caught her voice as Ukyo murmured, "It'll be better, Ranchan. You'll see."

'Ranchan' groaned at that and hung her head, defeated.

Hina watched the exchange between Ukyo and the prisoner impassively. She took a drag off her a cigarette, and turned to the man beside her, "Hina Bored. She doesn't look very dangerous, Agent Fenris,"

The man next to her scoffed, and crossed his arms. "The drugs have made him less than… _effective_, my dear." The corners of his mouth turned upwards into a sinister smile. "I assure you, he's quite the prize."

Hina looked perplexed. The prisoner was clearly a woman. "'He'?"

"'He,' yes. As I stated before, young Ranma has zoan-like abilities that induce a change in his gender," he explained with a grandiose gesture towards the bound redhead. "I've opted to keep him in his female form in order to insure he does not become small enough to slip from the seastone bindings."

Hina quirked her eyebrow at that, not quite believing him. Seastone was as hard as diamonds, and might as well be just as expensive. Only the most dangerous of criminals were given seastone treatment. "Your prisoner is that dangerous to warrant seastone?"

"Indeed," Fenris confirmed with a slight nod of his head. "The boy has a ferocious amount of physical strength, even in his smaller form. The seastone is the only thing that I was sure would safely hold him."

"We'll see," challenged Ranma, who had been silent since her exchange with Ukyo. She breathed a long sigh, as a brilliant blue glow blazed around her and lit the small hold. Fenris's expression became predatory as he watched, his wicked grin stretching back far enough to show many teeth. Hina's disinterest from before had almost evaporated at the sight. She cupped her chin thoughtfully in one hand as she puffed out another burst of cigarette smoke. "Hina impressed."

Ranma then flexed her body. "A…ka…ne!" she groaned, straining against her bonds. Despite the impressive display of battle aura, her shackles did not budge. After a few moments, her aura wavered, and she collapsed breathlessly into her bindings.

Ukyo winced as she heard the name Ranma breathed in her attempt to escape, her heart suddenly ripped in half. _He had used her name... Hers! _She hadn't just said it; she had invoked it like it gave her hidden strength. Burying her face into her hands she began to cry.

Fenris noted her distress, and crossed his hands over his chest and laughed heartily, "Chin up, Ukyo dear. Soon you will have your fiancé…" Ukyo's sobbing subsided at that, though her eyes again met the floor.

He re-crossed his arms behind him, and stalked over to the bound redhead. He leaned forward and stuck his face close to Ranma's "…And I will have my legacy." The redhead snarled and snapped her jaws, trying to bite him.

Fenris laughed again, pulling himself away and turning to Hina. "Captain? Is your subordinate prepared?"

Hina suddenly looked quite solemn and sad. "Yes. You will keep your end of the deal?"

Fenris waved a finger at Hina, as if scolding her, "I do not renege on my promises, my dear. Your debt to me will be cleared."

Hina closed her eyes and nodded. She took a deep breath, and turned to the door. "Recruit ? Are you ready?"

Another man entered the small prison hold, much more peculiar looking then any of the others. Heart shaped sunglasses masked his eyes, and a long, striped stem jutted out from his chin. His clothing was flowery, and atop his head sat a standard marine cap. He shuffled slowly and hesitantly towards Ranma, handling some sort of shiny metal ring.

"Yo," he said. He seemed quiet, and looked forlorn and sad. Ranma growled, but he continued, "Just relax… When I finish here, we're gonna take a rest, okay?"

The bound redhead glared. "No… No more… _rest,_" she spat, struggling against her bonds. "Fightin'. Won't let…"

Jango waved his hands at her, a bit panicked. "Whoa there!" he said loudly. "Calm down, no fighting…" He took the metal ring in his hand, and began to swing it front of Ranma's face using the long chain it was attached to. "Just watch the ring … back and forth. Now, on the count of 'Jango'…"

Ranma was suddenly very nervous now, as the metal ring waved back in front of her. She began to squirm within her bonds.

"One..." the man began.

"No!" The redhead would have none of it. She began straining against her bonds with renewed vigor and the blue glow from before had returned in full effect.

"Two…" the man continued, undaunted. Without warning, he pulled his hat down over his eyes, and jutted the swinging ring forward. "…JANGO!"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Notes: **Please read and review, even if it's only a small comment. Your support makes this worth while, and motivates me to write more.

I'd like to thank my Kaiser Convoy and Psycho King for pre-reading the story. The final quality of this chapter is much better then the first, thanks to them.

The name of this chapter comes from a song on my playlist. The name of Chapter 1 is from the Cirque du Soleil KA soundtrack, and the second comes from a track on the new Battlestar Galactica CD.

This was not nearly as long as was planned. I had a much longer chapter 2 originally slated, but it was more economic with my time and yours to split it in half. The good news about this is chapter 3 is not far behind, and is completely laid out and scripted.

Also, I'll be finding myself unemployed again by the 22nd. So that means after chapter 3, I'll have much more time to write. I'll also have much less money, but hey, I can't afford to do anything but stay home and write fanfiction.

**Things to Consider**

Ranma: When he's a girl, he'll be described as a 'she' and a 'her'. I know some authors don't like this, but for me, it's important to remind myself what gender he is at the time. If I call Ranma a 'he' even when he isn't, I'll only forget whether he's changed or not.

Agent Fenris: He's new. Very few One Piece or Ranma characters fit my needs for a villain, and I was forced to craft my own. Hopefully you won't find my attempts at an original character too offensive. He's also CP9... Hey, don't stare at me One Piece fans! Nero was new, and he had to replace somebody before he joined. Why not my Original Joe?

Captain Hina: Also known as Hina the Black Cage. She's a captain, and commands many ships. She has the power of the Ori Ori Fruit (Cage Cage Fruit) that lets her bend parts of her body around her opponents and turn them into steel bindings.

Jango: Also known as Django, depending on the spelling you prefer. Once the pirate lieutenant of the dreaded Captain Kuro, he joined Hina's crew after becoming friends with Lt. Fullbody. He has hypnotic powers, which he gained one day when he ate a mushroom that grew out of his chin.

Captain T-Bone: A character from the Enies Lobby arc in One Piece. He's a man of honor and an accomplished swordsman, able to split even large ships with his skills. He's also very, very ugly. I mean, super ugly.

Vice-Admiral Komir and Marine Base G2: Only mentioned in passing, but these are two real places and characters. They appeared in the One Piece mini-story "Ace's Great Blackbeard Search."

**Chapter 1 Review Replies  
**I like to be able to respond to the people who review, so here are my anonymous review replies for chapter 1. Thank you all for your comment, they are greatly appreciated.

_windstrike_: I disavow everything of the 4Kids dub. I will make no reference to it in my writing, because quite honestly, it stinks. I used the spelling beli instead of berries, because I didn't want readers not familiar with One Piece to think I was talking about fruit. As for Genma and Ranma navigating the Grand Line on their training trip, lets make it simple and say they were accomplished stowaways. Sometimes they'd swim, but only if it was a well known and relatively safe shipping lane. The Ranma 1/2 timeline for Wild Blue is essentially unchanged. There are a few niggling changes with minor details to keep the story working in the setting, but all the big important events are still in place. They still met at the Tendo Dojo, still went through Ryuugenzawa, Herb, and Jusendo, still fell in love... It's not an alternate history, just an alternate setting.

_Rabid Badger:_Wow! I thought I was the only one who staked out other people's profiles for their favorites list! Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to read.  
I'm glad you enjoy the long length, because I was worried that it was much too long for an introductory chapter. I've trying to keep myself patient, and not rush the storyline to where I want it to go, but I worry about moving too slow as well.  
_  
majinbuu7985_: Thank you for the review. There is indeed an RA pairing coming up, but I'm trying not to make a big deal about it. I don't want to ruin the flow with instaneous "I LOVES YOUS!" There's much more to the story and characters then what's between R and A. Thanks for the offer of beta reading, but you kinda scared me off with the spelling and grammer in your review. No offense.  
**  
**_Darkfire51_: I love One Piece, too. Ranma seems like a perfect match to crossover with, especially with the recent CP9 Martial Artists. The hits I've been getting on the story is encouraging, so I think I will keep it going for now. Wish the reviews were coming in better, though.  



	3. Underdog

**Disclaimer: **The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while.

**Wild Blue  
**based on Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi,  
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

**Chapter 3**

**Note: Some complex Japanese words are used. Please Refer to the glossary at the bottom of the chapter for their translations.**

"_Nerima's destruction was, fortunately, not as thorough as we first believed. We discovered this truth during one of the earlier raids, in which a list of five names was uncovered. Not a list of persons, but of ships. Most of the names meant nothing to us, though one name stuck out to me. The 'Bello Amora.' A restaurant ship that was serving as an evacuation ship during the attack. I had almost boarded it with Kasumi, before turning around to find the others._

_After interrogating the crew, we found out that these five ships were the only ones who had slipped past the Buster Call Armada and had escaped the destruction of the entire island, including ourselves. Their mission was to find these five ships, and destroy every last one, and one had already met its end by their hands._

_It is my hope to find the remaining ships, and hopefully, by proxy, my older sister, before it becomes too late to do so. Perhaps after that, we can understand why this destruction had to occur."_

_- An excerpt from the journal of Tendo Nabiki_

Kuno took a swig of water from his canteen, before turning back to his work. The sun was scorching, bombarding the entire ship with its hot rays. Still, despite that, a favorable tailwind was blowing, and the sails had to be adjusted to take advantage of that. He finished the rope he was working on, and turned to tie the rest. He was surprised to find Nabiki already tying them, albeit a bit clumsily.

She caught his gaze, and gave him a teasing smile. "You look like you needed a hand, Kuno-chan." She was wearing some very short shorts and a small halter top. To his annoyance, she had a habit of shedding clothes the higher the temperature got. He couldn't really fault her for it (he wasn't wearing much himself), but it was distracting.

"I am perfectly capable of doing it myself," he said, trying his best to look annoyed. "I require no help, Tendo Nabiki."

She matched his scowl with of one of her own. "Typical Kuno-chan. You're not the big, bad samurai you think you are. You need help, and I need something to do, and I'm certainly not helping Konatsu in the kitchen."

He showed no response to her scathing, but inwardly he winced. "Apologies, but I have it well in hand. You can inform your sister that I require no help."

She raised her eyebrow at him as she finished tying the last knot. "Akane didn't tell me to do anything. I thought you could use some help."

"Indeed? So you have finally achieved the perfect tan and decided to lend assistance?" he responded. Her thoughtfulness had touched him, making him feel uncharacteristically playful. He leaned against the mast, taking another swig of water from the canteen.

Nabiki laughed, leaning against the rails of the ship. Inwardly, she felt a little hurt. Aside from some attempts at navigation, she did very little on the ship. While she managed some of their resources and all of the finances, Nabiki had few responsibilities to occupy her time.

He passed the canteen to her and she took her own swig, sitting in silence as they often did. The quiet was broken a few moments later with a loud battle cry. The white blur that was Genma spiraled into the air from the lower deck, and lanced downward again in a kick. He and Akane were sparring again.

Kuno and Nabiki watched the display from above, as the two relentlessly traded blows below. Kuno watched Genma restlessly, feeling very uncomfortable. A man should not be so brutal when fighting a woman. The girl was barely holding her own against him, though she did not appear to be distressed about it. Her skills had come far in the last few months.

"Hmmm, little sister…" Nabiki murmured thoughtfully. "She's a good leader, y'know?"

That shocked Kuno out of his reverie. He had never known Nabiki to praise anyone.

"She's a good leader," Nabiki repeated. She meant it. She knew her sister better then anyone, and while Akane could often be rash and temperamental, she trained and worked the hardest of anyone on the crew in the last few months. She knew what needed to be done, and what she was fighting for. Most of all, she knew she didn't have everyone's confidence, and she fought for that approval too. No, Akane didn't have it all as a leader, but Nabiki respected her for what she did have.

"I suppose." Kuno was not quite as convinced as the brunette was. Akane was certainly an adequate leader, and was quite determined. But she was also a woman. A crew should be led by a man, shouldn't it?

She was also temperamental and sometimes rash. But wasn't it for that same fierceness that he admired Akane for, and sometimes, lusted after her for? Besides, if their captain must be a woman, why not… A strange thought bubbled to his head, and he decided to voice it.

"Why do you not lead? You are clever enough." She quirked her eyebrow at him, and he immediately regretted asking. Still, it was puzzling. Why did she not lead? She was always the one out for control and power. It would suit her ambitions, and she was intelligent enough to do the job.

"If this was a merchant ship, maybe. But," she began, lowering her gaze to the ground, "we're pirates. A leader for this crew needs to be made of stern stuff, and I don't have the stomach for fighting." She knew that wasn't quite true, she'd fight if she could. But she wasn't a skilled martial artist, or a ninja, or a swordsman. She felt increasingly worth less and less as time went by, as she really didn't have any skills or abilities to apply to the situation. Akane led, Genma taught, Konatsu cooked, Tofu healed, and Kuno navigated, and all of them could fight. She handled money, but until they got to port, that skill was useless.

Kuno could not swallow her lie; he had known Nabiki far too long. "No stomach? You hunger for vengeance as much as I," he said bluntly. Yes, she was vengeful. Perhaps, too vengeful to lead, he realized. While Akane was certainly wrathful towards her enemies, he knew that was not her true goal (whatever that was). He turned his thoughts away from Akane, to Nabiki again. "You do not fight because you are weak."

His comment struck her hard, as her face burned red with shame and anger. Her mask of ice had broken again, she realized. The façade she wore to conceal her emotions fell apart far too often in recent months. She was losing control… Vengeful, and weak…

Kuno was flabbergasted at her reaction. He didn't expect her to look so upset. He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, before reaching his conclusion. "Is this why you offer to assist me, Nabiki? You feel that your value is less because you do not join us in battle?"

"Shut up!" she hissed. The anger in her eyes made her resemble Akane more than the cool-headed girl she normally appeared to be. She knew what he said was true, but she didn't need to be one upped by Kuno of all people… So honest, so cruel.

He flinched at her outburst. It was not his intention to offend. "I apologize. I did not mean−"

"SHUT UP! You're not in any position to be throwing things in peoples' faces!" she gripped her hands hard, her fingernails digging into the flesh of her hands. "At least I'm not living in a dreamland!"

"Dreamland?" He was confused now, and a bit cowed by her outburst. He had clearly picked at a very soft spot.

"You're a lie! You're not the best!" she spat. "And your pigtailed girl is just an illusion!"

"Nabiki?" Akane asked, climbing up from the deck below. A towel was wrapped around her shoulders, her hair sweaty and wet. She looked worried. Nabiki took one look at her, and ran off without saying a word. Akane turned to Kuno, her glare furious. "What the hell did you do to her!" The fury faded from her brown orbs, and became filled with worry. She turned away from the kenshi and hurried after Nabiki into the inner cabins.

Kuno sank to his knees, bewildered. He hadn't said anything. What had happened? Things had been so pleasant between them, and then she exploded.

Her words stung deeply, too. A lie. He wasn't a lie! The pigtailed girl wasn't a lie! She couldn't be a lie…

The secret truth that he already knew had to be locked away where he could never speak it aloud. Admitting it would mean… Would mean…

…Would mean he really did have nothing left.

* * *

"No, no, no!" Genma roared. He was quickly losing his patience. "Foolish girl!"

Akane dropped out of the strange stance she was in and glared at him. "What now? I got the stance right!" she shot back.

The large man stomped his foot and growled in frustration. "The stance is perfect! You're not controlling your ki right!"

She crossed her arms, frustrated also. "Well, what am I doing wrong?"

He sat down to the deck, and crossed his legs. That was the problem, though. She really wasn't doing anything wrong…

Training and teaching the girl was so much like training Ranma, and yet, so different. She was as fast a learner as his son, though at the same time she had different strengths and weaknesses from Ranma which made it hard to relate to her like he could with his son. Genma had many of the same qualities as a fighter, which made teaching techniques to Ranma rather simple. With Akane, he had a difficult time relating to her as a sensei. While he taught her much of what he knew, the girl had to find her own balance and happy medium with what she learnt.

The difference between the two of them was becoming more and more clear as he began taking her through advanced techniques. Specifically, the Umisenken. She had insisted on learning it, and while he was uneasy about unsealing the techniques, the situation was certainly desperate enough where they might be necessary to their survival. It was unfortunate, because the more time they spent on the techniques the more it became clear she was unsuited to learning them.

Where ki flowed like a river in the Saotome family, it burned like a bonfire in the Tendo clan. The girl had so much raw ki running through her, and before they left Nerima she just didn't have the control to be able to use it. He thought that now that she had a good handle of it, that perhaps with something like the Umisenken could come to her. Unfortunately, her aura had a distinct tendency to expand and explode outwards. While she could compress it to do minor stealth tricks, she could not tame it to the point required by the Umisenken.

In a way, he was kind of jealous. If his aura was like hers, he could have taken the Yamase− A thought suddenly entered his head, and he grinned. A plan was formed.

"We will be stopping the Umisenken training here…" he began. She opened her mouth to protest, but he did not give her a chance to respond. "…and we will continue your Yamasenken training. You've shown a much greater grasp on that set of techniques."

"No!" she shouted. The Umisenken practically rendered its users invisible during combat. It was fast and subtle, where its counterpart the Yamasenken was harsh and violent. She remembered Ryu Kumon, and how easily Ranma defeated him and the Yamasenken using the Thousand Seas Fist…

"The Yamasenken isn't good enough!" she declared.

Genma sighed as he pulled the glasses from his face to clean them. The girl didn't understand. "Akane, you must realize. You are fire. The Umisenken is water. It is unsuited for you."

She glared at him. So that was it. You had to be special. "I'll never be good enough to learn it," she announced, feeling like her heart was ripped in half. She had been feeling so confident before, learning things so quickly. She had a much better control of her ki now, and she was getting so good… And now…

Genma slapped his hand to his head at the conclusion she reached. "You're looking at this the wrong way! Settle down, and let me explain.

"It's like your fighting style. You've adapted something beyond what your father taught you with the Tendo Ryu, correct?"

She nodded. The Tendo Ryu was based on strength and ground combat, with some elements of weapon play. While her present fighting style had many elements that her father taught to her, it was too fast and acrobatic to be considered part of the Tendo Ryu anymore. She had mixed in some of the speedy and acrobatic forms that Genma had taught her from the Saotome Ryu, resulting in a fast and hard hitting fighting style. Her amalgamation of the basic Tendo-Saotome schools served her far better then either school did separately.

She didn't see what that had to do with the Umisenken, though.

"You took what you knew, and made it work for you," Genma continued, placing his glasses back over his eyes. "It will be the same thing for the Yamasenken."

She frowned, still not completely understanding.

He took a deep breath, and continued the explanation. "The Umisenken works well for both me and Ranma because it suits the nature of our ki and battle auras. The Yamasenken is inferior for this reason".

She was confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Yamasenken," he said, taking a breath, "is incomplete."

"What! Then I shouldn't be learning it!"

"Foolish girl!" he admonished, bursting to his feet. He was prepared to backhand her, like he might have done his son, but stopped himself short. "The reason the Yamasenken is incomplete is because I was unsuited for developing it! It never reached its true potential like the Umisenken, because my nature could not take it there!"

Akane stood stunned, suddenly understanding. Her confidence began to bubble up again. "So, you think my nature…"

"Precisely!" Genma nodded, slapping his fist into his other hand. "Your ki is distinctly vibrant and explosive. I think with it, you can eventually take the Yamasenken to where I could not."

Hope rose up high with in her. Could she do this? Take the basics of what is already a difficult art, and take it further into something far better? Inventing would be much more difficult then just learning, but the end result...

She nodded happily to Genma. "Let's get started, then."

Genma puffed up, looking proud. "Excellent. I believe you're ready for the Kijin Raishu Dan."

"It's going to have to wait, Akane!" said a voice from above. She looked up, to see Nabiki in the crow's-nest, gripping a pair of binoculars in her hand. Since her fight with Kuno, Nabiki had been spending almost all her time up there studying some books on navigation. "There's land up ahead!"

Akane pouted. She was eager to start, but apparently they had arrived. She sighed, and went to find Kuno. They had to make preparations to land the boat.

* * *

To everyone's great relief, they did find civilization. Seregrently was a warm and sunny spring island, and while it wasn't very big, it looked as if it would have all the services the Akaken needed. Though neither grand nor huge, it was bustling with life.

Nabiki planned and organized everything about their little pit stop, surprising Akane with how thorough she was. She had to wonder if her sister was overcompensating for something.

Nabiki had paired everyone up, with her and Akane in charge of finding a carpenter to look over the ship. Tofu and Genma would get supplies, and Kuno and Konatsu would handle the fridge. Money was divided out between the pairs. Even though they had quite a lot of beli to work with (courtesy of the raids, and as well as the Kuno family), Nabiki handled it all with an iron grip regardless.

They split up at that, with Akane and Nabiki making their way through the markets undisturbed. The fact that they were pirates didn't seem to matter to the locals, as the entire island served as a sort of a pit stop for pirates and trade ships alike. Various vendors had set up stands, selling various foods and knickknacks, and the two sisters paused every so often to look at the goods.

For the moment, they felt like sisters again. They had very little opportunity in the last few months to relax and spend time together.

"So what have you been up to?"

"Ah?" Nabiki asked, surprised by Akane's query. It seemed fairly obvious to her that she'd been doing an awful amount of nothing lately.

"What have you been up to? You've been hiding in the crow's-nest the last two days!" Akane asked again, following it with a small giggle.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Nabiki replied with a smirk. "I've been working on my tan again!" She laughed at that, and Akane started giggling with her.

"No! What have you really been doing?" the younger sister pressured.

"Seriously?" She quirked her eyebrow at Akane, and then answered, "I wrote in my journal a little bit, but I've been studying navigation…"

"Why's that?" Akane asked, curious. "Kuno-baka seems to have a good handle on that."

Nabiki snorted. "Do you honestly think that will be there to help us forever? The minute Ranma's back, do you think he'll stick around? I want to be prepared."

Akane's earlier joy vanished as a sad frown crossed her face. "We don't know that."

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Why so disappointed? I thought you hated him."

"I don't hate him. I just don't like him." She sighed. "I don't want to throw him out, when we're the only thing close to a family he has left, Nabiki."

Nabiki didn't respond, though her expression became downcast. The two continued to walk on somberly, moving through the crowds of the market place. "Is it wrong that part of me wants to throw him out? To just forget about him?" Akane asked, her voice full of sorrow.

Nabiki thought for a moment. While she was currently angry with him, she had shared classrooms with Kuno Tatewaki since they were children. He was the closest thing she had to a 'best friend.' But after everything he put her sister through, could she really blame her for such feelings? "No," she declared. "He made your life hell. You really don't owe him anything."

"Maybe, but…" Akane began, but trailed off as something caught her eye. "There it is!" she exclaimed, pointing at a bright red sign labeled 'Ely's Carpentry.' The building was rather large, about two stories high.

They entered, and found themselves in a fairly large room. Dust covered everything, and the smell was heavy and musky, reeking of sawdust. Various tools were strewn and scattered about all over the place.

A man sat behind a counter at the front, reading a book. One arm held the open book, while his other was wrapped in a sling. If he was Ely, it was clear he was in no position to be repairing anything, least of all their ship. He looked to be in his forties, with a thin face and a long dropping mustache.

The man behind the counter dropped his book and scowled, "If you're looking for a carpenter, you're out of luck. My arm's busted."

Akane frowned. They really needed a carpenter; some of the leaks in unfinished places of the ship were getting really bad.

"Is there no one else?" Nabiki asked in response.

Ely bitterly laughed, "My old boss from Water 7, bless his heart, sent me one of his foremen to handle my responsibilities for a bit, while I recover." He slammed his free hand down on to the counter angrily. "But the bum he sent is off at the bar! Always gambling!"

Both Nabiki and Akane exchanged looks and nodded. If it was the best they could hope for…

"Do you know where we can find him?" Akane asked, hopeful.

Ely's angered visage slowly relaxed, before he spoke. "You can find him at the Six Sabers' Tavern. Should be play'n poker. Paulie's the only carpenter around here besides me."

* * *

Despite it being midday, the bar was filled with people. It was loud and smelly, with bountiful and harsh laughter coming from every table.

"Oh, god, it reeks in here," Nabiki complained. The smell of tobacco smoke was overwhelming, and she was forced to pinch her nose to bear it.

"This is gross," Akane agreed. She covered her hand over her mouth, trying very hard not to breathe in the tobacco-laced fog.

"If ya can't take it, leave girlie!" commented a man at one table, earning a round of laughter from his friends. Akane suppressed the urge to thump him as they walked past, making their way to the bartender. She was an elderly woman, looking as worn and tired as the tavern itself.

"Do you know where we can find a man named Paulie?" Nabiki asked the bar lady, shouting over the loud rambunctious laughter all around them.

The old women's sad expression quirked into a small smile. Suddenly there was a loud roar of "NO!" at one table, forcing Akane and Nabiki to turn their attention to him. A young, blonde haired man stood over the table, shaking in outrage. He wore blue leather pants, and a leather jacket of the same color, with a bright orange shirt underneath. The man's jacket was covered with cigars, which were suspended vertically in the fabric of the jacket, almost like a bandolier. He was unshaven, with a light beard developing, and wore large, orange ski goggles on his head. He was furious, his eyes wide in rage.

The bartender laughed, and jabbed her finger at him. "That's Paulie."

* * *

"NO!" Paulie roared. _Nononononono! _He had come to Seregrently to _recover_ from his gambling debt, not make it worse. His boss, Iceburg, had offered him a hefty bonus to cover for his old friend Ely for two weeks, and he could not pass up the opportunity. Paulie's gambling debts were no secret, and Iceburg knew he needed the extra beli. He was sure this was the bastard's way of helping him out discreetly.

And he had blown it. No sooner than he arrived at the small island town, he found himself embroiled in poker game after poker game. And now, he had finally lost it all: the big, fat, huge, colossal bonus Iceburg gave him was gone.

He left the poker table, ignoring the players laughing at him. Bastards; he had half the mind to hang them all. Stomping off, he slammed himself down at one of the barstools, chewing on his cigar in frustration. He glared straight ahead, noticing the billboard in front of him. Pinned up against it were various wanted posters, mostly pirates, he realized. It looked like some new ones were put up.

Ah, to be a pirate. It'd be so easy, to just sail off and become an outlaw with no debt to worry about. If he didn't love his job so much, and his home of Water 7, he might have done just that, he realized. Everybody was resorting to piracy these days, from all walks of life. A wanted poster for a teenage girl caught his eye. How does a sixteen or seventeen year-old girl get herself a 42 million beli bounty? Unreal.

"Ummm… Excuse me," a feminine voice spoke behind him. "Paulie-san?"

"Yeah?" he asked, not bothering to turn around. He did not want to deal with people right now.

"Could we have a moment of your time? We need your help..." He scowled, and turned to regard the person behind him, and nearly jumped out of his skin at who he saw, and fell off the barstool in shock. It was the girl from the poster!

He scrambled back up, his jaw open. She regarded him quizzically, looking concerned. "Are you alright, Paulie-san?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry," he said, quickly composing himself. "You just surprised me."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "My name his Tendo Akane," she said. Paulie took a glance at the poster again, and sure enough, the poster read the same name. "This," she continued, gesturing to another girl behind her, "is my sister Nabiki."

Paulie regarded Nabiki coldly. She was dressed so immorally! A woman shouldn't show that much flesh! And her cleavage! _Uh!_ At least this Akane girl was dressed more classily. She wore an exotic red shirt, and a pair of baggy pants, and while they were kind of baggy on her, they did not show the least bit of skin.

His thoughts turned more deeply to the Akane girl. She was worth 42 million! With that kind of money, he could easily pay off his gambling debt, and then some. The debt collectors were getting edgy, and he feared they'd soon start chasing him with pistols instead of bills.

Clearly someone in heaven had decided to give him a break, and tossed her into his lap. He'd tie her up and claim the bounty! The only problem was she was a woman… He didn't feel right attacking a woman, even if she was a pirate. But if he knocked her out quickly, and tied her up... She was just a girl, and capturing her shouldn't be too tough. He was a Galley-La foreman, after all! They were skilled carpenters AND fighters!

"How about we go outside and talk?" he asked casually. "This is no place to discuss business."

* * *

Unable to tolerate the foul smell of the bar anymore, the girls were all too happy to be led outside. They walked a little ways out to the street. It wasn't a happy part of town, though the place was mostly deserted.

The carpenter was being oddly silent, Akane noted. Could it be he was planning something perverted, taking his chance to hit on two pretty women? "Thank you for speaking to us, Paulie-san," she started, hoping they could talk business. The last thing she needed was for him to be trying to pick them up…

"Hate to do this to a woman, but…" Paulie smirked dangerously, as he suddenly leapt backwards. Akane narrowed her eyes, and dropped into a fighting stance. Nabiki scrambled off to the side at the sudden act of aggression, trying to get herself out of her sister's way. So he wanted to fight, eh?

A rope found its way from Paulie's sleeve, and it shot rapidly towards Akane, letting it fly like a golden bullet. Akane crossed her arms in front of her in defense, her eyes wide with surprise.

"ROPE ACTION," the carpenter cried, as the rope wrapped around Akane's wrist, "Bowline Knot!"

Akane gasped as the cord somehow knotted itself around her hand. She tugged hard on the cord, only to find Paulie tugging with equal force at the other end. Why was he attacking her? She pulled hard again, but he refused to budge. "Strong," she murmured.

Paulie bit down hard on his cigar as the girl struggled against the binding. Her strength was phenomenal, and he didn't think he'd be able to hold on to her for much longer. There was fifteen feet between them, so at least he was out of her reach.

With a huge grunt and a burst of the strength, he tugged back on the rope, pulling Akane off her feat and flipping her into the air behind him. "Oshioki!" he roared! He jumped forward and applied another hard tug in the opposite direction of his earlier throw. Akane flew forward this time, and starting arcing down towards the cobblestone road, head first and at great speed.

Akane only had a few moments of being airborne before she noticed she was plummeting towards the ground. She narrowed her eyes in determination; a martial artist was nothing if they didn't know how to fall. She spun herself in the air, turning her freefall into a flip.

"Ippon Tsuri!" Paulie finished. The cobblestone cracked as she impacted the ground furiously.

_I overdid it, _he thought, feeling guilty at performing such a technique on a woman. Still she was a heavily wanted pirate, and he had loans to pay… He looked up, and froze in confusion. She wasn't sprawled out unconscious like he expected, but rather, was crouched low to the ground with her back facing him. Her feet were buried in the shards of the cobblestone, having obviously taken the impact instead of her head.

Akane grinned as she felt the carpenter hesitate behind her; she had surprised him. She stood to her feet instantly, refusing to waste that opening. She lunged forward, punching the air with her bound hand, dragging the rope and Paulie behind her. The air crackled and whipped at the velocity of the strike, and Paulie gasped as he was pulled off his feet and rocketed towards her.

He reached her rapidly, and she greeted him by spinning and smashing her elbow into his face. The force of the blow sent him spiraling off to her side, and he bounced off the cobblestone as he crashed, skidding across the ground for a few feet. Akane then yanked the rope hard to herself, bringing the addled carpenter back to her like a yoyo. She let loose a fierce punch to his stomach, and Paulie howled in pain as he fell backwards again.

He had enough sense to let go of the rope this time, and rolled backwards from Akane as he touched the ground.

He knelt close to the street, his left hand clutching his aching gut as his right nursed his tender cheek. Lesser men would have been shattered easily by those two blows.

He watched as the girl stood confidently. She smirked at him, clearly enjoying herself.

"I underestimated you, Pirate," he stated with a scowl, as he stood to his feet. She was strong, and it was no wonder she was worth such a big sum… He pulled out another line of rope from his sleeve, and stretched it tight between his hands. For better or worse, he had started this fight against her, and he would have to end it or suffer the consequences.

"My name is Tendo Akane," she responded, still grinning, "of the Musabetsu Kakuto Tendo Ryu." She was burning happily inside; it had been over a year since she fought a one on one battle, and the first time in awhile she could face someone with honest confidence rather then false bravado.

The increasing numbers of skilled martial artists in Nerima had quickly demolished her pride and fighting spirit. When she was once the best, she had become one of the weakest contenders. Finally, after all the training in the face of the recent tragedy, she had found her spark again. This was her first real chance to test her new skills against a skilled opponent…

Paulie scowled. Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling, eh? So she was a martial artist... "I'm Paulie," he began, stating his own version of her earlier introduction. "Dock 1 Division Leader of the Galley-La Company."

Akane's grin got wider. "Once I beat the crap out of you, you're going to fix my ship," she announced. She fondled his discarded rope, at least thirty feet in length, and untied it from her wrist. She then attempted to loop it into a bundle around her shoulder, and failed spectacularly. She only succeeded in getting her arms tangled in the mess of cords. She squeaked loudly as she pulled the rope off of her, and attempted to re-loop the bundle again.

"That so?" Paulie questioned, his voice laced with sarcasm. Paulie had to balk at her clumsiness with the cords. Was this really the same girl who had smacked him around like a tether ball? He let out a small, chuckle, and pulled another cigar from his jacket and lit it with his match. He took a puff, watching Akane fumble with the thick string.

Akane's face was flushed with red at her klutziness. She had just ruined her big chance to look cool… _Oh well,_ she sighed to herself, as the new bundle came together. "Got it!" she proclaimed, swinging the re-bundled loop of rope over her shoulder.

"Really think you can use that?" Paulie teased, as he dropped back into a ready stance. Really, she couldn't even _loop_ it.

"I'll show you!" she exclaimed, charging suddenly.

Paulie grinned at her aggressiveness. "Rope Action!" he shouted, flinging the binding at the raven haired girl. "Round Turn!"

Akane twisted out of the way, and flung her own set of rope at Paulie. "Kinshi Kinbakusho!" she screeched, as her own cords bound themselves around the carpenter's arms. He grunted in surprise, flexing his limbs trying to break free. Akane was still charging towards him, though, with one hand pulling tightly on his bindings and the other pulled back and pointed into a vicious knife-hand. "Geimon Tetsu Sen Shi!" she cried, stabbing him fiercely in the chest.

The carpenter flew backwards like a rocket and smashed into a stone wall. Rock and mortar shattered around him, piling on top of him. He struggled to pull himself out of the rubble, gasping from the wind that was knocked out of him. His chest shuddered, and found he could not find the energy to move.

Akane grinned triumphantly as she grabbed him and pulled him out of the pile of rock and stone by the scruff of his shirt.

"Stupid woman," he coughed, trying to avoid looking into her eyes. He was defeated.

* * *

"You attacked me because you have a gambling debt! That makes no sense!"

Akane was more than a little irritated at the random attack. While she had enjoyed the battle, she wanted to finish all the business in Seregrently, and having the person whose help they needed be a potential enemy was not helpful.

"_MORON! PIRATE!" _Paulie retorted. He was currently restrained, as Akane had kept him tied tight with the rope._ "_You're worth 42 million beli!"

Akane shook her head in disagreement. The Marines didn't know anything about her yet. She was about to protest verbally when Nabiki returned. She had entered the tavern a few minutes before, just after Paulie explained his money problems.

"He's right, Akane," she said, handing her younger sibling a piece of paper. "Look at this."

Akane studied the page, and gasped. A photo of Akane was plastered in the center of the page, with text that read the following:

Wanted

Dead or Alive

Tendo Akane

B 42,000,000

She frowned. She knew it was only a matter of time before a bounty was issued, but this was so soon... Their chances of infiltrating Glades undetected were very slim now that anyone could recognize her face.

She couldn't help but wonder where they got the photo. She didn't remember it being taken, but it looked like it was captured on a Marine ship, no doubt after one of her attacks. She was glaring angrily at the camera, looking quite sinister.

"They made me look evil!" she whined, her grip crumpling the sides of the page. It seemed something so stupid to be mad at, but really, the government were the bad guys! Not her!

"Oh, hush," Nabiki chided. "At least you're worth quite a bit." Akane sniffed and stuck her nose in the air.

"In any case," Nabiki continued, turning to Paulie, "we still need you to fix our ship,"

"HAH!" Paulie huffed in defiance. "No way I'm helping you, you… immoral woman!"

"Immoral?" Nabiki asked. She chuckled and turned to her sister. "Akane, he KNOWS me," she laughed.

"Pirates! Women!" Paulie sniffed in disdain. Akane clocked him lightly on the top of his head.

Akane was getting concerned. They really needed to finish repairs, and if he didn't help, who knows what could happen to the Blue Thunder? "Please, Paulie-san?" she begged. "I'm sorry I beat you, but we really need your help."

Paulie closed his eyes at her pleading, and almost considered it. Being beaten by a girl stung his pride way too much, though. He wouldn't help them. "Forget it. Not helping you, psycho-woman."

"Psycho-woman!" Akane growled, her left eye twitching in fury. She pulled back her hand to strike the jerk, when it was caught softly in Nabiki's cool grip.

"Just wait, Akane," Nabiki cautioned. She turned to Paulie, "How about we wash each other's backs? You−"

Paulie exploded, straining against his bonds. "YOU IMMORAL WOMAN! Why would I want to do something improper like that with you!"

Nabiki quirked an eyebrow at him, and then laughed. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant we can help each other out, not actually bathe together."

The carpenter calmed down, though he still glared at Nabiki, his distrust of her obvious. She continued, "You fix our ship and we'll help you solve your little money problem."

"Eh?" Paulie asked, a bit curious. Why would the pirates want to help him after he attacked them?

"I'm quite the card player myself," Nabiki claimed. "How about I win your cash back, and you fix the Blue Thunder?"

"Please, Paulie-san?" said Akane, pleading again. "Nabiki is awesome at cards! She even beat the Gambling King!" She neglected to mention the Gambling King preyed on children because he wasn't nearly as unbeatable as the mythos surrounding him suggested.

Paulie regarded her uneasily. Could he trust her? Especially someone dressed so… lewdly?

"Why not?" he decided out loud. It couldn't hurt. "Sure, if you can win it back, I'll fix your tub."

Nabiki's smile curled dangerously, and Akane cheered at his acceptance. "So how much of this bonus did you lose?"

"Two million beli."

Nabiki and Akane's eyes bugged out. "You… bet that much?" Akane gasped, unable to grasp how someone could throw all that away.

"Your boss must give one hell of a bonus." Paulie's scowl deepened. He neglected to mention that Iceburg's bonus was essentially charity.

"Alright, then," she said, turning to face the bar entrance. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"So how about dealing me in, boys?" Nabiki said. She winked at them and did her best to flaunt her cleavage. Paulie, who was now unbound, groaned at her display, clearly disgusted at her lack of shame.

The assembled poker players drooled openly, not bothering to hide their lust. None were particularly attractive, and Nabiki filed most of them away into the category of "ugly, lowlife slobs."

"We'd love to play some more with you, Miss, but…" began one man. He was as large as he was hairy, with a big, fat beer-gut hanging out from his tight undershirt.

Another man, a bit more pleasant to look at, continued. "We've already played our fill. We won a lot on this sucker here!" he exclaimed, gesturing to Paulie. The carpenter was about to explode, when Akane painfully squeezed his shoulder. He winced, and glared at her.

Nabiki continued to speak, unhindered. "But now's your chance to win big! How often will you get the chance to win a real _meito_!"

The table erupted in surprise, with conversation and banter going back and forth. Akane's eyes widened in shock, realizing what Nabiki was talking about. She hastily removed the sword that was strapped to her back and cradled it tightly

"NABIKI," she began, taking a deep breath, "you can't!"

Nabiki shot Akane a glare, and pulled her to the side, away from the poker game.

"We need you to bet that sword," Nabiki declared.

"And I'm saying you can't." Akane replied evenly, hugging the sheathed blade protectively.

"Come on, Akane," Nabiki pleaded. "These guys will need something big to convince them to stick around." It seemed Paulie lost it all, and had made the other six players very eager to leave with their winnings. "This is the easy part!"

"No! This is Dad's sword!" her younger sister insisted. "Nabiki, it's been in our family for generations! I'd never forgive myself if we lost it!"

Nabiki leveled Akane with a pleading gaze, but inwardly, she was seething. This plan was supposed to be the easy part; she'd win a few stupid games of poker, and then Paulie would help them and they'd be on their way. She didn't count on Akane being so unconfident with her abilities. She trusted her little sister to easily dismantle six squads of marines, so why couldn't Akane count on her to beat a stupid bunch of lowlifes at cards? This was finally her opportunity to be useful, as suckering suckers was what she did best.

"I don't intend to lose, Akane."

"You're too arrogant," Akane retorted, remaining firm. "No, as captain I'm putting my foot down on this! Bet something else!"

Nabiki sighed. There was nothing else to bet. The only thing they had worth more then the sword was Akane herself, and perhaps their ship. Nabiki walked up to Akane, grasped her by the shoulders. Their eyes met, both determined and harsh. "Trust me," she said, determinedly. "I don't lose,"

Akane's firm resolution wavered under Nabiki's rock-solid conviction. The raven-haired girl's anger faded, and replaced itself with a stern, determined look. With a hard nod, she thrust out the sheathed katana, and held it out horizontally in the air. Nabiki nodded happily at Akane, and took the sword from her sister's grip. Clutching the blade protectively, she returned to the game.

"Gentlemen," Nabiki called as she sat herself at the table. "As I promised: a meito. One of the named blades themselves.." She gently placed the sword down on the table. The sheath and the hilt were a shiny, beautiful black lacquer, while the guard made of an almost-white silver. The same silver capped both the pommel and the scabbard, as well as coloring other small details and trimmings on the katana.

One of the players, a small skinny man with a ragged scar running from his ear to his jaw, reached out to touch it. He stopped short, and met Nabiki's eyes with a questioning expression. The brunette nodded, and he grasped the blade. He drew the sword out, and began to examine it. Akane watched uneasily, quite ready to break his neck for fondling such an important piece of the Tendo clan.

He pulled out a small pocket book and began flipping through it, comparing the sword to the contents of the booklet. To Akane's surprise, the tiny man appeared to be a bit of a sword expert. "To think I would have my chance to ever hold one…" he began, his trembling hands gripping Akane's weapon tightly. "Kuroga, a Ryou-Wazamono... One of the Fifty Great Edges!"

He smiled gravely, and replaced the sword to the center of the table. "It's worth over four million beli. I am game." The other players around him went wide eyed, nodding in assent.

Nabiki grinned wickedly. It was time to do what she did best. _The game was on._

_

* * *

_

"Four of a kind! I win again!"

Akane watched them play uneasily. Her sister was so… casual about this. She acted as if her winning was the only natural thing possible. Maybe Nabiki was right, that this was the easy part.

Paulie watched excitedly. The devil woman wasn't kidding when she said she was good at cards.

They had played for only a couple hours, with Nabiki winning every time. Over time, she had managed to win back more than Paulie's bonus, making a neat little sum for herself as well. Every time she re-bet her full winnings, including the sword, and every time she was victorious. The temptation to keep playing for Nabiki's ever growing pile of loot was too strong. But now, wallets and funds were getting strained…

"I'm out," declared one of the men, his face old and cracked and his head bald. "Seems our luck ran out."

Nods of agreement filled the table, and most of the players began to stand up and filter out. Only one tiny man (the sword expert, Nabiki recalled) remained.

"YOSHI!" called one of the other players. "You got nothing else to play! Just give it up! She's too tricky!"

"Shut up! I have something else!" Yoshi retorted. "I was going to sell it to a buyer from the government, but…" He scampered under the table, and brought back up a small wooden chest and dropped it on the table. He then pulled a key from his pocket, and slapped it down beside the chest. _I'll win that Ryou-Wazamono yet._

"It's a mystery prize, but I can assure you the contents of the chest are worth more than enough to equal the amount of your pot," he stated, gesturing to her winnings. He grit his teeth, and continued, "I'll play you for it, one more time! But not poker!"

"Oh?" Nabiki asked, more than a little curious.

"Old Maid," he croaked, steadily. "Two cards. A final showdown, one used often by the Gambling King himself! Choose the Joker, and I win. Get the other card, and you walk away with everything."

Nabiki wanted to laugh, as his banter conjured memories from happier times. She had seen the Gambling King try that on Ranma. The Gambling King was anything _but_ a goodcard player. He was even a lousy cheater.

Nabiki herself had been cheating all night, and even when they sent someone to watch her play behind her back, they still hadn't noticed her slight of hands. This would be easy; she could handle any of the Gambling King's tricks.

"Alright," Nabiki replied, looking a little bored as she leaned over the table.

Yoshi grinned demonically. He slapped two cards down onto the table and pushed the chest and key towards the center. Nabiki responded in kind, pushing the sword and her pile of winnings towards the center as well. '_Now witness my final technique,' _he thought_, 'taught to me by the Gambling King himself!'_

Nabiki's face was a mask, and she placed a finger down on the card on the left, but didn't flip it. "I choose this one," she said. Yoshi could almost not control his grin, and went to flip it for her. "Nah uh!" she scolded, slapping his hand away.

She pointed to the other card on the right, and smiled. "That means this one is yours." She flipped Yoshi's card, revealing the Joker. "Oh! Looks like I win!"

Yoshi's jaw dropped, and his world froze around him. He trembled in indecision, his mind shutting down. He collapsed on the table, unable to cope with what just happened.

Akane and Paulie exploded in excitement. "AWESOME, DEVIL GIRL!" Paulie yelled, almost squealing and clearly impressed. Akane was instantly relieved. She should have trusted Nabiki in the first place. The other players just shook their head in disappointment, walking off.

Nabiki carefully lifted the card she had chosen, careful to make sure she was the only one who could see it. Sure enough, it was a Joker also. "I think I'll keep this as a souvenir!" she declared, depositing the second card into her bust.

Her arms then wrapped around the huge pot of winnings she just one, pulled them closer to her. After returning Kuroga to Akane, she grabbed the chest and key, and decided to see what her mystery prize was. She plugged the key into the chest, and sure enough it unlocked the box. Opening it, she blinked in surprise at the contents.

'_An apple?' _she inquired to big mystery prize was a piece of fruit? "You did try to cheat me!" she accused. Yoshi ignored her, still laying on the table unmoving. She took it out and examined it. The apple had a strange texture, and its hue was more of a violet instead of a red. '_It looks so tasty,'_ she thought, filled with the inexplicable desire to take a bite. It was her prize after her shoulders, she brought it to her mouth and chomped down.

She nearly spat the chunk out of her mouth in disgust, but something compelled her to swallow. "This is disgusting!" she declared, hurling the fruit out of her hand. It was like eating old garbage, with wet newspaper and rotten meat… She clutched her forehead suddenly, as pain and discomfort filled her… Did she just eat poison?

"Nabiki?" Akane looked on, very concerned.

Even Paulie was worried. "Devil Girl?"

Yoshi managed to gather some sense and pulled himself from the table. "You… you ate it…"

Her body felt like it was on fire. She collapsed to her knees, and stared down at her hands, watching horrified. Her fingers began to shift and warp, reshaping themselves into long, sharp talons. Her skin began to turn gray, and she screamed in dismay. Pain exploded from her back, as she felt _something _erupt from it. She looked down at her bare arms, and they were now covered in black feathers. She screamed again, before collapsing to the floor.

Akane grabbed Yoshi by the scruff of his shirt and hoisted him straight up into the air. She was furious, her eyes full of madness.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Notes:  
**Please **Review**! **Please**! I worked hard on this chapter, and knowing what you guys think is immensely beneficial to me. I demand **reviews**! If I only get three again, I will cry_. Like a little girl._ Do you want that? **_Please review!_**

Again, thanks to my pre-readers Kaiser Convoy and Psycho King. Also, thanks to Wikipedia, YouTube, and Arlong Park. My knowledge of Ranma ½ borders on encyclopedic, though my One Piece knowledge is more shaky and being able to reference things at those sites is helpful.

This is essentially the second half of chapter 2 that I wanted to write. After twelve pages of writing, I was tempted to split it again, but decided to tough it out and write the whole thing. This section of the story took far longer than originally intended.

My muse loves to write action. I didn't originally plan to write Paulie fighting with Akane (originally, she was ambushed by random pirates), but it was something I needed to do to have fun with this chapter. To write a nice detailed one-on-one fight is really invigorating for me.

As usual, the name of the chapters from my playlist. This one was from the Appleseed OST.

**Things to Consider**  
Yamasenken and Umisenken: The Thousand Mountain Fist, and the Thousand Sea Fist. Two secret sets of techniques designed by Genma. They're based around thievery. The Umisenken is based around the stealth of a quiet, sneaky thief while the Yamasenken is based around a loud, violent burglar.

_Ki: _Spiritual energy, which is harnessed by martial artists to perform superhuman feats. I'm generally assuming most anime readers know what this is, as the concept is used in so many different franchises.

_Kijin Raishu Dan:_ This is Japanese for Demon God Assault Shot. A Yamasenken move.

_Paulie:_ One of the Galley-La foremen from the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc in One Piece. Fights with ropes, and doesn't like it when women show too much skin, as he believes it is immoral.

_Oshioki Ippon Tsuri: _This means 'Punishment: Gone Fishing'. It's also a pun on the word 'Ipponzuri' which means one-handed fishing. Paulie uses his ropes to throw his opponents into the air, and sends them crashing down again head first.

_Kinshi Kinbakusho: _A Yamasenken technique, which uses rope to bind the opponent. Literally means 'Gold Thread Tightly Binding Flight.' Like most Yamasenken and Umisenken techniques, one technique flows from another. This one is usually followed by the Geimon Tetsu Sen Shi.

_Geimon Tetsu Sen Shi: _Another Yamasenken attack. An attack to the chest that literally means "Welcome Arch Iron-ribbed Fan Finger"

_Meito: _A meito is a named sword with a prestigious history. Being a meito usually means they are immaculately well-crafted and dangerously sharp. Zoro from One Piece has three of them.

_Ryou-Wazamono 50: _Means 50 Great Edges. Very famous swords, some of the best in the world. One of Zoro's swords, the Wadou Ichimonji (Straight Path to Harmony) is a Oo-Wazamono 21, which means 21 Greater Edges. His other two swords, Yubashiri (Snow Run) and Sandai Kitetsu (Third Generation Demon Splitter) are both Ryou-Wazamono.

_Kuroga: _Japanese for Black Fang. The name of Akane's sword. I used western sword terminology to describe the katana, not feeling it appropriate to confuse you guys with strange Japanese terms. Its appearance is not too different from Zoro's Yubashiri.

**Review Responses**  
_Rabid Badger:_ You're complaining about the length of time between updates? _D:_ You monster!

Yeah, I like Galactica. I wouldn't write a Ranma crossover though. I don't think it would work. It might be fun to explore how Ranma and the Tendos would live as some of the civilians in the fleet, but it doesn't tickle my muse very much. Thanks for the review, though!

_Prometheus:_ It's more of a rack than simple shackles. I would also say Moko Takabisha is not possible, as Ranma is heavily drugged and does not have the focus. He managed a battle aura, but I'd say that is much more instinctual for him, and a ki blast would require much greater concentration. Also, he doesn't have his hands free to do the 'stance' that he and Ryouga usually take up when they fire a blast. Thanks for the review, though!


	4. Raise Thy Sword

**Disclaimer: **The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while.

**Wild Blue**

****based on Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi,  
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

**Chapter 4**

"_Our home and legacy in Nerima were left in flames. The only thing left of Musabetsu Kakuto Tendo-Ryu is the knowledge Akane carries with her, the sword strapped to her back, and the Dojo Sign hanging on our ship. And hopefully, with my father as well._

_They say a Dojo sign is more important than the building itself, and the dojo exists wherever the sign hangs. Perhaps, if all goes well, that sign will hang in a dojo once again. My family's art is not yet forgotten, and perhaps my father's dream of a united Saotome-Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling can still come to be once Ranma is rescued.  
_

_That is, if my sister and her dumb fiancé ever smarten up." _

_- An excerpt from the journal of Tendo Nabiki_

"Hey, there! Welcome to One Liner Ben's Oceanic Appliances!" Ben was a rotund, jovial, man. He welcomed Konatsu and Kuno to his shop cheerfully with a bright, hearty laugh. "What can I do you boys for?"

Both the young men were dressed casually in shorts and sandals. Kuno wore an unbuttoned tropical shirt, coloured with blue and decorated with surf boards. Konatsu wore a buttoned version of the same shirt, his in yellow. They didn't have many casual clothes to choose from on the Blue Thunder, and made do with whatever they could wear.

Kuno was stern and stoic, unmoved by Ben's pleasant greeting. "Greetings. We require an ice-crystal refrigerator, one best suited for long voyages. Your best."

Konatsu frowned. Nabiki wouldn't be too keen on them buying his most expensive. Why did Kuno always have to go over the top? "His best, Kuno-san? Nabiki won't be happy−"

"Nabiki won't be happy regardless," Kuno interrupted, snorting. "Best for her to be unhappy now while we still have money, rather than a few weeks from now when a second hand fridge expires. We will take the best, for it will last many times longer."

Konatsu bristled. Kuno was the one person he'd not take such hasty dismissal from. He didn't like the swordsman very much, especially with the way he attempted to romance their captain. The way he ranted about how Ranma and Ukyo as betrayers was even worse. Perhaps it was true for Ukyo, but he still owed a lot to her.

Ben clapped his hands together happily, and was about to say something, when he was interrupted by Konatsu. "No. We will take a more affordable model," the shinobi demanded, his arms crossed.

Kuno blinked in surprise. Why did the ninja have to grow a backbone now of all times? Ben again tried to speak, but Kuno growled, silencing him. "Must you always be so frugal!" he scolded, raising his voice. "The life of the ice crystals in an older fridge is uncertain! We shall take his best!"

Konatsu flinched at Kuno's change in volume, but was not undaunted. "Well, you're going over the top! We shouldn't waste our money!"

"You do not even know your OWN value, let alone that of a beli!" Kuno snapped, suddenly ferocious. "Do not even begin to tell me how to spend!"

Konatsu was cowed at his sudden insult. He shirked back slowly, watching the fury leave Kuno's face. Once his face was placid again, the swordsman smiled slightly and nodded slowly at the ninja. Konatsu blinked in surprise at the underlying meaning, and Kuno turned back to the shopkeeper.

"Your best," he repeated. Ben nodded happily.

They did get Ben's best fridge, though it wasn't nearly as expensive as Konatsu feared. They carried it lengthwise back to the ship, each holding one end. The young men had nearly superhuman strength from their martial arts training, so the weight was no problem at all. However, it was large and a little unwieldy, so both of them agreed to carry it at once to avoid damage in case it slipped from their grip.

Konatsu was silent, still brooding about Kuno's insult, and the mysterious smile and nod he had given afterwards. He was at a complete lost at what they meant. After a few minutes, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Kuno-san," he began, "what did you mean earlier?"

"Pardon?" the swordsman asked, dodging an apple vender and nearly dropping the fridge.

Konatsu struggled to hold on, and readjusted his grip. "When you said I did not know my own value," he explained. "What did you mean?"

Kuno snorted in derision. Was it not obvious? "You place yourself at the feet of others! First at the Okonomiyaki Chef's, and now at fair Akane's."

"I do not!" shot back the shinobi, instantly insulted. He owed Ukyo a lot and Akane even more. Ukyo saved him from his horrid step family, and gave him a place to call home. In Nerima's final moments, Akane seized him from the rubble of the destroyed Ucchan's, and carried him to safety. "I'm just… just grateful…"

"Indeed?" countered Kuno, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "Can you not show your gratitude without bowing and scraping like a servant?"

"I can so!" Konatsu howled again, nearly losing the fridge from his grip. Why did Kuno care how he presented himself to others?

"You do." Kuno repeated, his tone laced with steel. "You are our greatest warrior, and should act more accordingly!"

There was an unintended compliment in Kuno's words, and it jolted Konatsu completely. He stumbled, and faltered backwards. The refrigerator bounced from his grip, and pounded viciously into the ninja's gut as he hit the ground.

Kuno reacted swiftly, and yanked his end of the fridge off of Konatsu, standing it straight. "Are you well?" he asked, anxious. The ninja looked to be fine, and didn't appear to be in any agony.

Konatsu nodded his affirmative; he was made of sterner stuff than that. He was still more bothered at what Kuno revealed. "Did you mean that Kuno-san?"

"Pardon?" the swordsman responded, a little befuddled.

"You said that I was our best fighter," Konatsu recalled. Had Kuno really said that? He knew from experience that the swordsman fancied himself the best among them. He was sure Kuno Tatewaki would never admit that someone was better than him, and he'd certainly never believe he'd hand out a compliment like that.

Kuno froze, petrified. He HAD said that, unintentionally… He felt frightened.

He had known the reality of his skills for awhile, and this was one charade that he knew he could not maintain anymore. Pretending to be the greatest warrior all the time… A lie. He had many lies sleeping with him, and deep down he knew they needed to be purged. One by one, if need be.

He strained himself to answer, a part of himself fighting to contain the truth, while another rebelled to be free. "Yes," he managed. His eyes were squeezed shut, his brow furrowed in focus. He had said it. His fighting kills were lacking. "Better than I am," he admitted, finding it easier to say a second time. "Better than I could ever hope to be."

Konatsu watched Kuno in astonishment. Judging from his expression, revealing that had been excruciating. He hadn't meant to upset him so badly, and felt himself overflowing with guilt. He pulled himself into a sitting position on the earth, before exclaiming, "That's… that's not true, Kuno-san! You're a very good swordsman!"

"Perhaps," he began, sorrow coating his words. "Time and time again have proven my skills are only adequate." Indeed, compared to the rest of the crew he was swiftly becoming a liability. Akane was improving more and more everyday, and Saotome's blasted father carried years of experience. Konatsu was a ninja genius, and he was certain that Doctor Tofu was hiding darker secrets than simply shiatsu.

"Well, maybe I could help you train…" Konatsu suggested. It couldn't hurt. He had not practiced his own sword forms in awhile, and he could benefit from the training just as much as Kuno. Plus… he sort of wanted to help him.

Kuno blinked in surprise at the offer. He had not had a training partner in years, not since he had arrogantly fired his last teacher. He found himself wanting to take Konatsu's offer of assistance; the ninja was a phenomenal warrior, and Kuno certainly would benefit from his experience. "You would do that for me?"

The shinobi nodded, affirming his decision. He would help him! "You're one of the crew, too!" he burst, a bit excited. "I'd be happy to."

Kuno tilted his head thoughtfully. He extended his hand down to Konatsu, offering to help him up. The shinobi seized his hand tightly, and Kuno pulled him to his feet. "Thank you, Konatsu," he said. "I will consider your offer."

He turned his attention back to the refrigerator. "Come!" he bellowed. "We must return this damnable thing back to the ship, lest we suffer the wrath of the harpies!"

He felt better about himself now, like a great weight was lifted. He admitted his weakness, and maybe now he could grow stronger. Instead of fighting to hold on to a lie, he could fight to gain the strength he wished he had instead.

And perhaps, now that one truth was in the open…

Perhaps, other truths would follow.

* * *

Akane gripped Yoshi's collar tightly, and rattled the man violently in the air. She turned her attention back to Nabiki for a moment, and watched in horror as the black feathers continued to blossom over her sisters body. Wings exploded from her back, causing Nabiki to spasm violently. Her face shifted and warped, stabbing outwards and shaping itself into a beak. _'She's becoming a monster!'_

Terror engulfed Akane, and she lost her calm to panic. She dropped Yoshi's collar, and seized him again by the neck. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" she shrieked furiously. Her battle aura burst forth, wreathing her in orange and red ki. Panicked yells and shouts began to spread through the bar at the sight.

Yoshi began to gasp and gurgle, unable to respond. She narrowed her eyes hatefully at him, and began to squeeze. "What… Did... You… Do… to her?" she repeated, her voice hoarse and intense. She was too panicked and angered to realize he wasn't answering because she was strangling him.

One of Yoshi's stouter poker buddies bellowed in defiance and swung a wooden chair at Akane from behind. The seat still struck and shattered on the girl, though Akane was unscathed by blow. Her fighter's discipline took over as the wood smacked her, dropping Yoshi as her body flowed into a defensive stance. She skillfully deflected a follow up blow from the man, and tossed him aside like he was garbage. She recomposed herself, and watched Yoshi sputter on the floor like a fish out of water, her eyes widening in horror after realizing what she had nearly done to him.

* * *

Nabiki groaned as the pain began to ebb away. She pulled herself up to get her bearings, gasping at the sight that greeted her. The world looked so much more… _detailed_. Hues and tones of colours she didn't know existed dotted and coloured everything, and everything had an uncanny shimmer to it… She stared down at her body, all covered in feathers. When they were sprouting they were ash black, though now they looked to be a cool cobalt hue.

Paulie stood over her, worry plastered all over his face. Akane was holding Yoshi in the air by the neck while he rasped out breathless gasps. "What… Did... You… Do?" she heard her sister say. Akane was killing him, Nabiki realized. She moved to intervene, when another man stumbled into the fray wielding a chair. Akane dropped Yoshi as the chair shattered around her. Her assaulter went to attack again, but Akane intercepted him and tossed him aside effortlessly.

"Akane," Nabiki said, hoping to diffuse anymore violence. However, as she spoke, an odd - almost alien - sensation caught her complete attention. Her mouth felt very strange. She reached out to touch it, and sure enough, it was pointed into a beak. She quivered in horror, and fought down the urge to break down into hysterics. "I'm fine," she began, before looking down at her hands sadly. "More or less."

Akane didn't even bother to turn to face Nabiki, her eyes glued on Yoshi in horror. Her battle aura had coiled down into a tight red glow, no longer a blazing firestorm. She was still angry, though now she was in control of it.

The rest of the tavern patrons began to cluster around Akane and Nabiki, while Paulie began stuffing their gambling winnings into his pockets. Some of the patrons were fearful, some were angry, while others drooled in anticipation. There were pirates in this city, Nabiki remembered. Many would welcome a bar brawl...

Yoshi picked himself up, still breathing shallowly. He glared at Akane angrily. "She ate my Devil Fruit, you stupid bitch!" he spat. "That's why!"

Akane narrowed her eyes at him, and flared her battle aura for a second. The man's sudden burst of courage dissolved, and he fell to the ground quivering.

Paulie finished cramming his pockets with beli, and turned to the two girls. "We should leave," he suggested, biting hard on his cigar, "before we cause more trouble."

The bartender seemed to agree. She hobbled through the crowd, waving a rifle dementedly through the air. "Get out of my bar, you monsters!" she shrieked, firing a booming, echoing shot into the roof with the rifle. The crowd scattered away from her, and some began to filter back to their seats. "No more trouble!

Akane gave one last defiant glare at both Yoshi and the bartender, and the glow of her battle aura faded out. She marched towards the exit, her footsteps quaking the hard floor fiercely. The crowd quickly parted for her, fearful of the promise of violence that glowed in her eyes. "Let's go," she ordered, motioning for Paulie and Nabiki to follow.

After Akane passed, the patron's eyes never left Nabiki as she followed Akane out. Their slack-jawed gawking made her feel even more like a misshapen monster. She was glad to leave there.

* * *

"Woo! That was close! I'd hate to get chased off the island for beating up a whole bar!" Paulie cheered zealously. They were currently outside in a back alley, out of sight and recovering from the earlier events. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning its descent.

His cheerfulness was lost on the two women. "What's your guys' problem?" he mumbled. They had won, and the girl had gotten some Devil Fruit powers out of it. He had seen a few pirates that had them working at Water 7, and he knew many men in the world would kill for those abilities. "Devil Fruit powers aren't so bad!"

"I look like a monster! That's the problem!" Nabiki snapped irritably, venom dripping from her words. '_Idiot._' She took deep breaths, trying her best to avoid falling into hysterics. She needed to be calm.

She looked down at her feathered arms, and began to study the changes to herself.

She hadn't noticed them before, but huge wings had sprouted from her back. She flapped them experimentally, creating a strong gust. They felt strong, and she was sure she'd be able to fly with them. She played with them a bit, and extended them outwards to their full span, filling the alleyway with their size. It felt very awkward to suddenly have an extra pair of limbs to use.

She'd grown a little taller, and a little wider, as well. She also felt sturdier and stronger, yet lighter at the same time. She was covered in feathers, with the exception of her hands and feet, which both ended in same scaly black talons. Her clothes had somehow stretched and changed to conform to her transformation, stretching in ways the physics should not have allowed.

She gazed down at a puddle of water, examining her face in the reflection. Eerily yellow eyes stared back at her. Her hair was still there, though with her wickedly pointed beak, her face resembled a bird's much more than a human's.

"Looks like the Tori Tori fruit," Paulie commented, offhand.

She would have bit her lip if she still had one. "I'm a raven," she declared, sadly.

"How do you know you're not a crow?" Paulie quirked his eyebrow, before blowing out a stream of smoky air from his cigar.

Nabiki blinked, not sure why she was so sure she was one and not the other. The answer was inside her somehow. "I… just… I just know."

"Well, now you REALLY like a devil, Devil Girl!" he laughed. Akane punched him hard in the cheek, making him spit out his cigar in surprise. "Sorry," he mumbled, clutching his hurting cheek.

Nabiki fought the urge to break down again. Her eyes met the ground in shame. "I'm hideous."

Akane ran her hands through her hair in contemplation. If Nabiki was no longer human, then maybe Springs of Jusenkyo would be an easy way to put her back. "Maybe we can use the Nyannichuan," she suggested, trying her best to look her sister in the eye. Crushing the urge to look away was difficult.

"Nyannichuan?" Paulie asked, baffled. "What's that?"

"Spring of Drowned Girl. It's magic," Akane explained. "If you fall in, you change into whatever drowned there. It could cure her…"

Paulie blinked in surprise, and was about to ask another question when Nabiki interrupted him.

"We don't have time to go looking for that," Nabiki answered somberly to her sibling. She had resigned herself. "I'm stuck like this."

Akane was silent, unsure of what she could do to comfort her sister.

"Uh… You know it isn't permanent, right?" Paulie asked. "If it turned you into an animal, then I think it's one of those _zone_ type fruits or whatever." He thought that was what they were called. He remembered reading about the new king of Drum Country in the paper recently, and how the new leader apparently had the Devil Fruit power to change into a bison.

Nabiki's eyes widened in surprise. Did he mean _zoan_? They had learned a little about Devil Fruits in school, and knew some of the basics. Zoan types let their users change into animals and hybrid animals. This was probably her hybrid form. Was it possible she could control the transformation and change back? She closed her eyes, and began to focus.

'_Go back to human, go back to human, go back to human…' _

She felt a strange shifting and creaking swiftly pass through her body. She took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes. Pink fingers wiggled where sharp claws were before. The beautiful shimmer everything had was gone too, and colours were normal again. She was completely human!

"Yes!" she sang joyously, hugging herself tightly.

Paulie puffed up with pride. "See, moron? I was right!" he jibed, his tone insufferable. Nabiki just rolled her eyes.

Akane felt as if a great weight was lifted from her, and let loose a huge sigh of relief. She grinned happily at Nabiki. "Hey, let's get back to the ship," she said, as she jabbed her finger at Paulie. "You still have to look at it!"

"But it's late!" the carpenter whined pathetically.

"Too bad!"

* * *

'_Where IS HE?'_

Tofu marched through the streets, his arms swinging heavy grocery bags. His patience was shot, and he wanted to go home.

No sooner than they had left the group earlier that day, Genma had vanished without a trace, taking half of the beli they needed for the shopping and leaving Tofu to get the medical supplies himself.

He had spent a huge chunk of time bartering for extra supplies. Just because he couldn't afford enough because of Genma, he refused to settle for less than what he needed. The Grand Line was a cruel place, and he wouldn't allow the rest of the crew to foolishly lose their lives because he didn't have enough bandages.

He still couldn't believe they had chosen this path. They barely escaped from Nerima with their lives, and they decided they wanted to become hunted outlaws? Maybe they did need to raid and fight to rescue Kasumi and the others, but did they have to do it all under the Jolly Roger? Traveling under a pirate's banner… If his mother ever found it, he'd never hear the end of it…

Speaking of his mother, he still had to find a way to contact her somehow. No doubt she had heard of Nerima's destruction. She'd already lost his father, and to think that he was gone as well… Well, that would be the end of her.

He grimaced, remembering his father. He was murdered by pirates while he was just a boy, and as a result, Tofu had grown up detesting them. He knew all pirates weren't criminals, as many were freedom fighters or simply anarchists, but he still held his bias.

And now he was a pirate. He was so torn. He wanted to help everybody, to find Ranma, and… to rescue sweet Kasumi. He was being unfair to Akane, he realized, but still… he felt as if he was betraying his father's memory doing it this way.

Despite that, the Bello Amora was still being hunted by the marines… He would save Kasumi, the woman he had secretly been in love with for so long. To think anyone would want to hurt sweet, selfless Kasumi. His glasses fogged up at the thought of her loveliness.

But perhaps the Bello Amora would be all right. Some of the other Martial Artists in Nerima were still unaccounted for and could be protecting them. Soun Tendo and the Joketsuzoku were still unaccounted for, and the Lost Boy Ryouga always seemed to show up at the right time.

His reverie was broken as he turned a corner and noticed a tavern. He wasn't THERE, was he? Knowing Genma… Tofu sighed, and made his path to the entrance. He chuckled at the sign, hanging over the establishment.

"Seven Swords Tavern:

Much Better than Six Sabers Tavern."

He entered, and found himself in the midst of a rather empty bar. It wasn't very popular, but at least it was clean. He looked around, and sure enough, he found Genma passed out at the bar counter, drooling. Mugs and bottles were scattered all over.

"Kami, what have you done to yourself?" he muttered, checking to make sure he was still breathing. At least he knew where the other half of the money went, now… Was the fool trying to drink himself to death?

'_I suppose I should take him back,'_ Tofu thought. He couldn't just leave him here.

He tied his two grocery bags together, and flipped the combined bags over his shoulder. Then with a grunt, he hefted Genma onto his back. The drunken man groaned as Tofu pulled his arms around his neck, and hooked his own arms around Genma's legs. Genma, while not exactly fat, was still stout and heavy. Tofu didn't quite have the super strength like many of the martial artists on the crew, but managed Genma's weight just fine. He left the bar, giving the smirking bartender a nod, and heading out to the evening and back to the ship.

The aging Martial Artist was not quite unconscious, Tofu found. He kept mumbling to himself in his drunken stupor, like he was stuck in a terrifying nightmare. "No-chan…" he groaned. "Sorry… couldn't save you…"

Tofu searched his memory. No-chan? Did he mean Nodoka? Did he believe his wife dead? It was certainly a possibility. She wasn't accounted for at all. If Genma truly believed his wife lost, he carried it well enough on the ship. Perhaps drinking was his way of dealing with it?

He kept babbling. "Will find…Ranma… Promise…" Tofu kept walking, a little touched at Genma's unconscious concern for his family.

Ten minutes later, Genma groaned awake. "Tofu?" he asked, becoming aware of his position on the doctor's back.

"Hm?" the doctor queried, still walking solemnly back to the ship.

"Thanks…" Genma managed, still quite drunk. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Tofu?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Akane." At that, Genma's head dropped, and a few moments later he signaled his exhaustion with a snore. Genma was asleep once more.

It was easy to see why Genma did not want Akane to know. Not only would Akane be terribly upset as captain, she had developed a lot of admiration of Genma in the last few months as her teacher. Perhaps he didn't want to disappoint her?

He decided to keep his 'patient's' secret confidential for now, though if his drinking got any worse…

A bucket of water suddenly emptied from a windowsill, and water cascaded down to them, drenching them both. Genma's curse was triggered, transforming him into his massive panda form. Not able to support the gargantuan weight, Tofu yelped as his body collapsed face first onto the ground, crumpling underneath the girth of Genma's bear body. The doctor tried to struggle out, but found himself pinned. The panda kept snoring, not even noticing the tumble.

"Help!" he called, hoping to get someone's attention. The streets were deserted. It was getting dark, though, and most people had returned home to their families.

After a few moments, Tofu sighed, and began squirming to make himself more comfortable. "Well, this certainly sucks."

* * *

The trio arrived back at the Blue Thunder as the afternoon sun began its descent into the evening sky. Akane had left her sister and Paulie rather abruptly, leaving Nabiki to watch Paulie dance around the ship as he checked things over. The others were nowhere to be found, though to Nabiki's pleasure there was a brand new refrigerator in the galley, loaded with food.

The carpenter worked rapidly, tearing open floorboards and investigating leaks and cracks. He returned to Nabiki in the galley after half an hour. The new raven girl was reclining back in a chair at the table, munching on a piece of bread.

He scowled in frustration, scratching at his stubble. "What's up with this ship?"

"Pardon?" Nabiki asked, shielding her apprehension with a bit of confusion.

"It's NEW. And it's a CARAVEL!" he exclaimed loudly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He took a puff from his cigar, and leaned up against one of the galley counters.

"And…?" Nabiki trailed off, still not sure what he was babbling about.

"That's weird! Caravels are an older type of ship! This is a **_new_** caravel!" That wasn't quite true, Paulie thought. It was like a caravel, but not quite. The sail designs were more efficiently designed, and the frame was shaped more for speed. It was almost like a modern day version of one, upgraded to perform like a newer ship was expected. "People just don't build new models of old ships!"

"You'd have to ask Kuno-chan," Nabiki explained. "It's actually his ship. Is that all?"

"Well, aside from the weirdness--," he said as he helped himself to an apple from the fridge. He sat himself across the table from Nabiki before continuing, "--there are a few major leeks that need to be patched up. If it's not done, you'll have problems."

Nabiki nodded, her worry ebbing away. "How long?"

"Just a few hours of work," he replied in between mouthfuls. They sat silently, munching slowly on their snacks. "So…" he began, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What's with your sister? Akane?"

"Akane?" Nabiki placed her elbows on the table and knitted her fingers together. "The pressure of protecting what's left… It's hard for her. "

"Our father and eldest sister are missing, and our mother died when we were young," she explained.

Paulie flushed slightly, embarrassed. He didn't mean to ask why the girl was so emotional. Though she just might be worse with her temper than him…

"Uh, no… I mean, uh, the crazy red glowing," he clarified, a little embarrassed.

Nabiki chuckled lightly. "Never seen a battle aura, before?"

He shook his head.

"It's a martial arts thing," she explained, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm the wrong person to ask."

Paulie didn't quite understand. He was quite the fighter himself, and hadn't heard of any martial arts moves that let people glow like forest fires. "So you said your sister and dad are missing?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah. We're looking for them," she explained. "And Ranma," she added, tersely.

Searching for family? That wasn't your typical pirate mission. "Ranma?" he asked, digging deeper.

"Akane's fiancé. He was captured by the Marines."

So they were a pirate family of martial artists, and some of them got caught by the Government. Families of pirates weren't so uncommon in this day and age. _'That must be it,'_ he decided, proud of his conclusion. "Sucks."

"Yeah," Nabiki agreed, not really willing to share anymore information with him. She staggered up from her chair, and tiredly made her way towards the door. It had been a long day. "Stay out of the fridge. I'm going to go check on Akane."

Shrugging his shoulders, he waited for her to leave. After a few moments, he dove to the fridge and began to dig in.

Akane shambled into the captain's quarters, feeling completely drained. She collapsed herself into the wooden swivel chair, and hunched forward on to a large oak desk, and rested her head on the pile of scattered parchment. A bed sat in the corner, just below a window dressed with fine, silk drapes that billowed in the cool breeze.

She almost never used this room of the ship, opting to sleep in the hammocks with everyone else. Its only use was as a dressing room, used by her and Nabiki to dress away from the prying eyes of the men. Right now, though, she needed privacy, and the captain's quarters were the only place.

She had lost her temper earlier, which really wasn't such a strange event in itself. What bothered her was she almost killed a man, thinking he had poisoned or cursed her sister. If Yoshi's friend hadn't attacked her, there was a good chance she would have crushed his windpipe. Odd that the attack was what forced her discipline to take over; it prevented what would have been innocent blood on her hands.

She laid back in to the swivel chair, and playfully spun around in a circle. Darkness was filling the cabin as the sun set, with less and less luminance peeking through the square of the window.

She focused her thoughts on what happened earlier… Seeing Nabiki collapse to the ground, huddled in pain was too much for her. Seeing her sister change like that, into some sort of monster… It nearly sent Akane over the edge. She had been so scared that she'd lose her last piece of her family. Nabiki was all that Akane had left, now that Daddy and Kasumi were missing, possibly dead…

'_I was lucky_,' Akane decided. Lucky the fruit was a Devil Fruit, and not poisoned. Lucky that she had regained control from her fear and anger, and hadn't killed an innocent. _'I can't let that happen again.'_

What would it do for morale if she killed an innocent person in a fit? What would it do to her? She was the captain, and she had to stay strong, had to keep everyone safe. Despite her ever-growing battle skills, losing anyone else in her crew would destroy her, she realized.

…And if they couldn't get Ranma back…

She felt her stomach go tight.

She spun the swivel chair again, finding the slow twirling quite therapeutic. It would have been nice to have some bricks to break; her favorite pastime when she needed to release her tension. Nabiki would likely chide her on 'frivolous and wasteful spending' and refuse the funds. Oh well, she'd likely end up accidentally punching through the deck, anyways.

She was as pirate now, maybe she could just randomly smash through someone's brick wall or something? Property damage was nothing new to her, anyways. She was no Ryouga, though she was confident she could destroy quite a bit with a strong enough blow.

She sighed, continuing her slow spin until the room filled completely with black. She stopped suddenly, hearing the door open. She pulled herself up and sat into the wooden chair properly, as a lantern lit the room with light. It was Nabiki.

"Hey," Nabiki greeted. She deposited the lantern onto the oak desk, and sat herself at the bed. "How are you holding up?"

Akane flinched in surprise, before laughing. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she asked, brightly flashing a lopsided smile.

"That shook you more than it did me, didn't it?" Nabiki replied, already knowing the answer.

Akane nodded somberly. "I thought you were dying. Then, I thought you were turning into a monster."

Nabiki simpered, and gestured towards herself. "But I'm alright," she claimed, her tone smug. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about her new powers. Sure, she couldn't swim anymore, but her new form felt so... _powerful._ Why worry about swimming when you could fly? "Maybe even a little better."

Akane scowled in dismay. "But you can't swim now!"

"You can't swim either!" Nabiki countered, teasingly.

Akane glowered, and flushed red. "NA-BI-KI!" she warned slowly.

"You must have eaten the Macho Macho Fruit when you were little! That's why you can't swim! My sister the tomboy!" Akane growled at the teasing, and Nabiki fell back into the bed, laughing and giggling.

She continued to laugh for a few more moments, before straightening herself. She saw Akane sadly staring towards the floorboards.

"That's something he would have said." The ebony-haired girl's tone was hollow. She even missed his _teasing_…

Nabiki's playful grin vanished and was replaced with a grimace. "Ranma?

She nodded sadly, her vision still downcast. "I miss him," she sniffled. Her fiancé was always in the back of her mind, creating a festering wound of worry and loneliness.

Her problems from before paled before hers today, though when things were lonely and empty for her, Ranma had walked into her life and had become a pillar of strength in it. Even though they fought often, he made her feel safe, and she trusted him completely to protect her. Now that he was gone, she realized how completely vulnerable she felt without him.

Nabiki sat up on the bed, and crossed her legs. "We'll find him, Akane. We'll find everyone."

Akane smiled at her conviction. It really was the only outcome to consider.

All the others were just too terrifying.

* * *

"Oooh…" he groaned appreciably. Konatsu was sure he had never held something so well crafted in his entire life, though that wasn't saying much.

They were a pair of long, double-edged daggers. Unlike the wakizashi he was trained in, these knives were straight, their length a bit shorter than that of his forearm. Their hilts were hardwood, finely crafted and polished, with a perfect balance and a pleasurable grip.

Both he and Kuno had decided to visit a weapon shop after bringing back the refrigerator. Kuno wanted to get his blade sharpened and polished, and Konatsu had nothing better to do, he opted to tag along.

He experimentally handled them, running through a small kata and enjoying how easily they sliced through the air. Deciding to test them further, the ninja placed himself in front of the store's large target board. The target got regular use, with other throwing weapons already embedded in it.

He casually fired the two knives at the board, and whistled in admiration. They both sunk deep into the target's red center, a perfect bulls-eye. _'Sharp,'_ he commented, privately. _'Excellent balance.'_

"Oh, so you like those?" observed the shop keeper, letting loose a raspy chuckle. He was a frail, elderly man, hunched over a cane. His most prominent feature was a long scar running down his face, with an eye patch covering his left eye, perhaps marking him as a warrior earlier in his life. "You handle them quite well. They're called the Wespenstich"

"They're named?" Konatsu asked, his voice carrying a trace of dismay. "Does that mean…"

"That they're meito? No, nothing fancy like that." The shopkeeper chuckled again. "I know the smith that forged them, and he likes to name all his creations. He figures he'll get lucky, and a great warrior will buy them and make them legend."

"You should purchase them," Kuno suggested. He was huddled in the corner, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He was tediously examining the sharpening and polishing job done to his blade, making sure everything was in order.

Konatsu removed the two knives from the target board, and flushed red. "Oh… I couldn't. They're probably much too expensive." As much as he'd love to fight with these knives, he didn't have any money for anything. Ukyo never paid him much when he worked for her, and Nabiki kept an iron grip on the crew's funds. "Nabiki would never…" he trailed off, before sighing.

Kuno replaced his katana back into his scabbard, and sat it over his knees, cupping his chin in contemplation. After a moment, he rose from the floor and regarded the shopkeeper. "How much for these weapons?" he asked.

The shopkeeper grinned. "Two-hundred-thousand beli for the set."

Kuno nodded. A fair price. He turned back to Konatsu. "I have funds of my own. I can pay half, but you must ask Nabiki for the rest. There should be more than enough in the ship's coffers to re-arm you."

Konatsu paled. A hundred-thousand beli was gargantuan to him. For Kuno to be offering to pay half was incredibly generous, but he couldn't accept that.

But he DID need new weapons anyways. Much of his weaponry was of poor quality even when they were new. His kusarigama was nearly blunted, and much of his throwing weapons were in similar condition. A pair of sturdy knives that he could rely on would be fantastic. But could he in good conscious accept the swordsman's generosity? _Could he ask Nabiki? _ "No, I can't accept that."

"Nonsense," Kuno chided. "I do not mind. There is little worth spending on myself anymore."

"But Nabiki would never−"

"You are afraid of her!" he snorted. "Very well, continue to be treated like a servant."

Konatsu narrowed his eyes, and glared at Kuno. Why was he being a jerk again? "I'm not a servant!" he retorted bravely. "I'll prove that to you!" he declared, marching from the store.

"Better hurry!" the shopkeeper called after the shinobi. "I'd like to close soon!"

Kuno chuckled playfully as Konatsu stomped off. "Why the fool can show backbone only towards me is beyond my comprehension..."

Konatsu stomped into the ship angrily, still bitter. He wasn't a coward or servant! He'd show Kuno! He'd go right up to Nabiki, and demand the money, and then get those two lovely daggers for himself. Kuno said it himself! He was an important part of the Akaken, and he deserved this!

He found her reclining on the deck, relaxing in the night air. "NABIKI-SAN!" he shouted loudly, deciding to forgo his usually respectful 'Tendo-san.'

Nabiki jumped in surprise, not used to such force behind Konatsu's words. She struggled up, a little panicked. "Huh? What's wrong?"

He stood firmly, and glared at her, fighting the urge to back down. He could do this. He couldn't flinch now; this was an enemy, a battle! "I need one-hundred-thousand beli!" he demanded. Tersely and more quietly, he added "For some new daggers."

"Okaaaaaaay…" Nabiki gaped at him, a bit confused. That was the big deal? He needed money for weapons? It was a good chunk of change, but most of his weapons looked pretty rusted anyways… Why not? She sighed. "A hundred-thousand?"

Konatsu shook his head hard, almost excitedly. She simpered, and pulled out her wallet and began counting bills. She handed them to the ninja, whose stern glare had cracked in dismay. "A hundred-thousand," she confirmed, with a giggle. "Go buy yourself something pretty."

The ninja stumbled away slowly, a bit confused. Was it really that easy?

"Oh, Konatsu-chan!" Nabiki called after him as he retreated. She grinned evilly. "Consider that a **_loan_**!"

Konatsu changed his mind. This wouldn't be easy at all.

* * *

_Two months ago... _

White. Surrounded by white. The walls, sheets, drapes, furniture… Everything was white and sterile. The clothes he was wearing were white as well; simple cotton pajamas.

He clutched his head painfully, trying to get a sense of where he was. Of who he was. Everything came up blank, blank like the room. Who was he? Why couldn't he remember? He grabbed his temples, trying to focus, but nothing would come. WHO WAS HE!

The door to the room rasped open, a tall, stringy man striding through. He wore a simple black turtle neck and pants, with a white scarf wrapped around his neck. His pure white hair stood tall, swept back like tail feathers of a bird.

He looked familiar to him, though he did not know why. "Good afternoon, Ranma," he spoke, his tone almost playful. "I see that you are awake."

"Who are YOU?" Ranma roared angrily, clutching his head, painfully trying to remember. "WHO AM I?

"Why, you're Ranma," he began smugly, his grin becoming feral. "And as for myself…"

"I am your father…"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Notes: **

Sorry to go all Lucas on you there at the end. Yes, he is only claiming to be Ranma's father. I'm not that lame.

Thanks to all you guys who reviewed last time! I very much appreciate the support! I hate to be one of those douches that beg for reviews, but I'm looking to improve myself as a writer, so I need to know what people think. Granted, I've ony recieved a little criticism, which is a bit problematic. Still, I know where I need to improve, and it's encouraging to know you guys like what I'm doing.

Also a big thanks to my proof-readers Kaiser Convoy and Psycho King. They haven't actually proof-read this chapter at the time of writing these notes, but um, thanks in advance!

Bigger author's notes this time. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, which is probably why I have more to say about it. Chapter name is named after a song from the Soul Calibur 2 soundtrack.

Kuno − Sometimes when you tell yourself a lie over and over, it becomes the truth to you. A small part of you knows it's never the truth, and will struggle to dispel it. Whether you lend that part of you the strength to dispel it or not is up to you.

Also, the scene in the captain's quarters. I do this thing when I've had a long day, where I just layback in my chair and spin around and let my thoughts wonder. I decided to apply it to Akane, and it resulted in a more somber and mellow scene than what I originally had. The character's responses were originally whiny and emotional, and ultimately, it felt out of character with Nabiki and Akane I've presented with you so far. I hope it jives now, because it's the most trouble with a scene I've had yet.

I'd love to write more for Genma and Tofu, but I need to get off this flipping island! Seregrently was originally one chapter, and now it's 4!

Some reviewers have asked if Nabiki has the power to fight in a significant fashion now. The answer is: not really. The zoan fruit can only enhance a character's abilities so far from their human form, and face it: her human form is still pretty weak (compared to the rest of the cast). What the fruit has given her is an opportunity, a boost to get her started.

Anyways, the next chapter will be a Ranma chapter. I have a few loose ends to tie with the Akaken to tie in Seregrently, and then it's all Ranma.

**Things to Consider  
**_the Fridge:_ It's sort of weird how in One Piece, the pirates have a fridge on their ship but no obvious way to power it. I figure in a world of snail phones and magic fruit, why not magic ice crystals that keep everything cold for self efficient refrigerator?

_Nabiki's Eyes:_ Birds in general have much better vision than humans. Their vision is more acute and precise, and they also have the ability to see colours in ultraviolet. Nabiki describing her feathers looking blue was not a mistake, as to her eye, that's what they would look like.

_Tori Tori Fruit: _Japanese for Bird Bird Fruit. Pell was another One Piece character who had the Tori Tori fruit, Model: Falcon. Like most animal devil fruits in One Piece, there are different models. For example, the Inu Inu (Dog Dog) Fruit has a jackal model, as well as a wolf.

I'm totally convinced Oda is going to bite me in the ass by introducing another raven character in the future.

_Nyannichuan:_ Spring of Drowned Girl. You guys should know this.

Wespenstich: German for Wasp Sting. One Piece is nice, because it makes use of all sorts of languages besides Japanese. Gives me the flexibility for weapon, attack, and characters names in something other than Japanese. I should aslo add I'm a complete dork, and totally messed up the spelling of the name at first. Thanks to my reviewers Nukem and Deepdream for correcting me.

_Beli value:_ I probably should have mentioned this last chapter, but the value of the beli in One Piece is much similar to the yen. So, for 200,000, beli, think 2000 dollars.

**Review Responses**

_majinbuu7985_: Seems fairly obvious that it's not a Logia fruit. And I'd love to do Ranma vs. Luffy, but I can't see the two groups coming into conflict for any good reason. Sorry, I'd love to write something that action-y when Ranma and Luffy do meet, but I won't force them into conflict with each other if it's out of character.

_Kitsune: _Thank you for your comments! I am seriously surprised at how many non-One Piece fans this story is attracting. Seems I'm doing a good thing in pretending the reader doesn't know who any of the characters are.

_Rabid Badger: _Thank you for the tip, it has since been corrected. As for Ranma and sci-fi settings, for the love of all that is sacred, read the Saotome Gambit if you haven't already. Ranma and Battletech! Read it even if you don't have any idea about Battletech!


	5. A Pack of Lies

**Disclaimer: **The characters and setting herein are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi and Eiichiro Oda. I'm just borrowing them for fun for a little while.

**Wild Blue**

****based on Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi,  
and One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

**Note: Some complex Japanese words are used, as well as other foreign languages. Please refer to the glossary at the bottom of the chapter for their translations. Ranma-fans unfamiliar with One Piece may also check the Glossary for information.**

**Chapter 5**

_One month, twenty-nine days ago…_

"My father?" Ranma asked, unsteadily. "I don't remember you! I don't remember anything..."

"Yes," Fenris replied, his monotonic voice sounding cold and distant. "The doctors mentioned there might be some brain damage."

"…Brain damage?" he groaned. What was wrong with him? "…What happened?"

"You were injured in a battle with a Sea King, and have been in a coma for the last week," he explained. "You do not remember anything?"

Ranma furiously shook his head. Fenris allowed a small smile to cross his lips, causing Ranma to blanch. Why would his father smile at him losing his memory?

Fenris caught his apprehension, and swiftly responded. "I am just glad you are well. The doctors had me fearing much worse," he calmed.

Ranma nodded glumly. The older man seemed to show very little emotion at all... Maybe he just wasn't very expressive?

Ranma's stomach growled fiercely, obliterating the silence. Fenris chuckled. "You must be hungry. And curious," he concluded. "Can you walk? Perhaps some fresh air and a meal would be in order."

Ranma pulled himself from the bed, his arms and legs wreathing with exhaustion as he forced himself from the bed, trying to steady himself. He had obviously been off his feet for awhile, but he should be alright. "I can walk," he declared.

He looked down at what he was wearing, finding the white cotton pajamas weren't exactly appropriate to go out in. "Do I have any clothes?"

Fenris nodded. "In the dressers. This is your apartment, after all," he explained, gesturing to the alabaster white furniture. He took a step towards the door, preparing to leave. "I will await you outside while you change, and then we shall join you fiancée for lunch."

"Fiancée?" Ranma gaped, looking flabbergasted. Fenris was silent as the door closed behind him.

* * *

"Your name is Fenris Ranma," Fenris announced, coldly. "You are my son."

Aside from a few white ties and belts, the clothing found in the drawers was overwhelmingly black. Though Ranma had no memory of what he liked to wear, he knew he didn't care much for the monochromatic tones that dominated his dressers and drawers. He settled on a black pair of slacks and black dress shirt. He wore it completely unbuttoned and un-tucked, with a white undershirt covering his chest.

His clothes served well enough against the weather, even though the air was cold and drab. Wherever they were, the place was full of people in uniform and it was easy to see the tops of colossally large ships behind the houses and buildings. It was very likely a military base.

"So who are you?" Ranma asked Fenris from behind, struggling to keep up. It seemed spending so much time unconscious had seriously weakened him. Also, the old man was quite spry, and didn't bother to slow down at all. "Besides my dad, that is."

"My name is Fenris Mikhail," he answered expressionlessly. "I am a high-ranking Cipher Pol agent."

"Cipher Pol?" Ranma questioned. It sounded familiar, but his memory was still an impenetrable haze.

"It is the intelligence organization of the World Government. There are eight divisions, running from CP1 to CP8," he recited, informatively. The tone of his response was vapid and dead. "I manage…" he paused before continuing, searching for words. "Well, let us just say my control effects more than any one division."

"Ah." Interesting, but it still didn't answer any of his questions. Ranma felt like a fish out of water, flapping about in confusion. He wanted to know who HE was, and make sense of all this. "And who am I? What do I do?"

Fenris chuckled. "So impatient, Ranma," he chided. "Let the questions wait until we sit for lunch." Ranma scowled anxiously. He was getting impatient. Just knowing his name wasn't enough.

They arrived at a small café, and were quickly seated by a waitress. Even though Ranma was starving, Fenris insisted on waiting. After a few minutes of no food and no answers, Ranma began to become even more finicky and impatient.

"Ranchan!" A young woman called as she entered, with long chestnut brown hair tied in a white ribbon. She was wearing the same white and blue military uniform that many others were wearing, and had a huge, strange weapon strapped to her back. It appeared to be a spatula... His heart leapt when he saw her, for unlike his father, she was familiar.

"You're alright!" she squealed. She threw her arms around him, and nearly tackled the pigtailed boy. Ranma blushed brightly, badly embarrassed. This must be the fiancée his father had mentioned.

He stared deeply at her, trying to pierce through the hazy mist that was his mind, using her familiarity as a weapon. Curious that she was familiar and his father wasn't, though if they were really getting married, it was easy to see why she might.

Dishearteningly, he still couldn't recall anything. She blushed, clearly enjoying his attention. "Do you remember me?" she asked, excitedly. "I'm Ukyo, your fiancée…"

"I don't… Hey!" he began, before stammering in surprise. She shouldn't have known that. "…How'd you know I couldn't remember?"

Her ecstatic grin became disturbed, and just as she was about to answer, Fenris cut her off. "I informed her via den-den-mushi before we left," he interjected crossly, before smirking and gesturing to the menus. "Now that, we're all here, let us dine. Order whatever you like."

"Oh," Ranma beamed excitedly. His stomach growled ferociously, forcing him to snap up a menu and greedily. "Man, I'm starved!"

* * *

"So I'm like a secret agent?" Ranma slurred between mouthfuls of bread and sandwiches. He was immensely famished.

"No, not a secret agent," his father clarified. "Just an **agent. **Cipher Pol is the intelligence and investigation side of the World Government."

"And we're getting married?" he managed with his mouthful, turning to Ukyo.

"Uh, yes," she timidly answered. Ranma was asking rapid-fire questions with his mouth stuffed with food, and it was more than a little disgusting.

"Really? How'd we meet? How long have we known each other?" he blurted, eager to dispel the confusion of his memory lost.

"Slow down!" Ukyo cried, laughing slightly. "We've known each other since we were little, and we've been engaged since--"

"Recently," Fenris interrupted snidely.

Ukyo glanced at the older man, appearing to be a bit hurt for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yes. Recently."

"Oh," Ranma managed, a bit confused at the exchange between the two of them. "So… um… tell me about yourself, I guess."

"Me?" Ukyo asked, confounded. "Don't you want to know more about yourself?"

"Well, if you're my fiancée, I should know more about you," he explained casually. Knowing the people around him would be key to knowing about himself.

"Well," she began, twirling a lock of her long hair around her finger, "I'm a chef! An okonomiyaki chef, like the rest of my family, and I practice Okonomiyaki martial arts−"

"Okonomiyaki martial arts?" Ranma chuckled. He thought it was funny, but in truth it carried a lot of familiarity. "Explains the big spatula."

Ukyo glowered at his amusement. "Don't laugh!" she scolded. "It's a family tradition!"

"Sorry," Ranma mumbled, still chuckling a bit.

"Ukyo has also begun her Marine officer training," Fenris supplied helpfully. "She's working under the famous Captain T-Bone."

"Uh, yeah!" she remembered. "I'm going through accelerated training with him. He's a great swordsman, and he spars with me a lot."

"Oh, wow," Ranma awed, voraciously biting into another sandwich. He didn't know who T-Bone was, but it sounded impressive. "So, we're both military types?"

"I suppose…" she began. "We're martial artists first, Ranchan. The military is just a place to apply it."

Ranma nodded understandingly. The term 'martial arts' rang loudly throughout his being.

Fenris shot Ukyo a snide glare at her. Ranma didn't notice, too absorbed in his meal. He finished his last bite of food, and stood up from his seat. "I don't suppose you guys mind me taking a walk alone?" he asked nervously. "I need to think about stuff."

"Very well," Fenris nodded, rising as well. "Try not to get lost. Gladestown is as busy as it is large."

Ranma nodded, leaving the restaurant.

As soon as Ranma was out of sight, Fenris glowered darkly at Ukyo, gesturing for her to follow. He marched them outside behind the café, leading her to a secluded alley while she followed nervously. When he was sure they were out of sight, he turned to Ukyo, his brow furrowed in fury.

"You fool!" he hissed. "Tread more carefully, or he'll begin to suspect!"

"I'm sorry…" she apologized, cowed by his fury. "It's just I've known him so long, that it's hard to pretend everything before didn't happen…"

"Humph," Fenris snorted, anger draining from his face. "We must draw him quickly into the world we've created, lest he grow wary and stumble out on his own. You will compromise his conditioning with the true events."

Ukyo bowed her head in shame, her gaze focused on the stone cold ground

"You have been instrumental in bringing Ranma this far, but your presence is no longer necessary," he threatened, stomping to the mouth of the ally. "Do not think I won't remove you from his presence should you become a risk."

She watched the cold, old man trounce off. She hated him, she decided. Ukyo remembered when Fenris first approached her in her restaurant back in Nerima. He had seemed to know everything about her, about Nerima, about Ranma...

He also informed her of Nerima's approaching doom. He didn't say what or who specifically, but someone had brought something nasty into Nerima, and to suppress it, the Marines would resort to Buster Call.

Buster Call…

Ukyo knew from her father's old tales from his Vice-Admiral days, before he retired to okonomiyaki, what that meant. A huge naval force would be quickly mobilized, and bombard the targeted island until there was nothing left. And there wasn't anything she could do. Even if she tried to warn people, who'd believe her?

All of Nerima would die, only she would be spared. Her father was friends with Admiral Akainu in his glory days, prompting the Red Dog of the Marines to extend her the 'courtesy' of survival. The Tendos would die, the Amazons would die, the Kunos would die... Ranma would die..

She had tried to kill Fenris after he told her, but he swiftly defeated her. To her disbelief, he had a proposition to make: Help him smuggle Ranma off the island. He wanted the pigtailed boy as a son, as well as a Cipher Pol agent. Ranma would never come on his own, of course, so plans for his capture needed to be made. He had even made arrangements to have her fiancé's memory suppressed. If Ukyo helped the Cipher Pol 9 agent, her love would live, and she would be his only fiancée.

No Akane or Shampoo or Kodachi… Just Ukyo and Ranma.

She agreed. Could anyone blame her? Die and lose everything opposing the Buster Call, or escape and save a few important scraps of her life to rebuild?

She invited Ranma over for lunch, telling him it was her way of apologizing for her part in the wedding disaster. He earnestly accepted, and came to the Ucchan's promptly, speedily devouring the okonomiyaki she had made for him.

The okonomiyaki was, of course, laced with sedatives.

She was glad Ranma was up and walking now, as he spent so many weeks under those same drugs. His treatment during his period of captivity was disturbing. He was still shaky, but she was confident he'd improve now that he was out and about.

She was now rebuilding her life and secretly helping Ranma rebuild one he didn't even know he lost. She had joined the Marines, following her father's footsteps even more closely than she cared to. Her father's name was almost legend among the military, and by using it along with Fenris' influence, she had secured a place to train at an accelerated pace under the legendary Captain T-Bone. T-Bone regularly worked closely with Cipher Pol, and if Ranma was to become a CP agent, it gave her the opportunity to work with him as well.

Despite this, though, the guilt still burned her from the inside out, and this lie she forced herself to act out in front of Ranma made it even worse. But at the possibility of having his love…

She'd burn a thousand islands.

Even back on Nerima she knew who his heart belonged to. No matter how hard Ukyo fought for him, he always went back to _her_.

But she didn't matter anymore. That was all in the past.

Now, Ucchan was the only one.

_

* * *

_

_One month, fourteen days ago…_

"You have a lot of old head wounds," the doctor explained, examining Ranma's scalp, "as well as some more recent ones. You said you lost your memory fighting? These injuries would certainly support that…"

"My head is kind of sore," Ranma replied flippantly. "So… My memory, will I get it back?"

Fenris watched the exchange mutely off to the side. The doctor, of course, was under his command and was feeding Ranma prefabricated information. The entire scenario of presenting Ranma with a medical evaluation was meant to placate the pigtailed boy's fears, as well as reinforce their story of the events.

"I can't really say," the doctor replied somberly. "The only significant study on the human brain has been done on Drum Island, and even then, it's very limited."

"So you can't do anything," Ranma concluded, looking quite sullen. Was he doomed not to remember?

"It may return on its own…" the doctor shrugged. _"_We simply don't know enough about the brain."

"Well, it's better than nothing…" Ranma scowled.

"Is Ranma well enough to be able to return to duty?" Fenris piped in suddenly. This was also part of the act.

"Oh, of course," the doctor confirmed. "Aside from a sore head, he seems to be completely fine."

"Duty?" Ranma gaped, confused. "What duty?"

"Thank you, doctor," Fenris said, politely dismissing him. "I believe I should speak to my son on my own." The doctor nodded gracefully, exiting the room.

"So what's this about duty?" Ranma demanded, as soon as the doctor was gone. He was very concerned. The return of his memories should be the only priority.

"Why, your duty as a Cipher Pol agent. You were a member of the CP8 before this took you off-duty," Fenris explained casually. "Back to your life from before."

"But my memories!" he glowered, his brows knit tightly in frustration. "I have to remember! I can go back to that later!"

Fenris snorted. Not if he had anything to say about that. "You must face the possibility that you may never remember, Ranma. You heard the doctor: there is nothing we can do."

"How can I go back to my old life if I can't remember it?" he protested. A Cipher Pol agent sounded like he needed lots of training, and he obviously couldn't remember any of his.

"We can retrain you," Fenris offered. "Before the accident, you had agreed to succeed me subsequently to my retirement."

Ranma quirked his eyebrow, not quite convinced. "You're retiring? You're old, but not that old..."

"There are...complications," Fenris explained sullenly, his voice as cold and hard as steel. "Regardless, when I retire, there will an empty position among the CP9. I wish for you to take it."

"CP9?" Ranma asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "You said there were only eight Cipher Pols."

"Indeed. The ninth is home to our nine most elite agents. It is top secret, and exists only to the public in rumor," Fenris answered illuminatingly. At Ranma's worried and confused expression, he continued, "You were, of course, privy to this information before.

"Should you decide to accept," Fenris spoke on, "you will go through Ciphier agent training once more, as well as specific CP9 training."

"I'm not sure…" Ranma began, weighing his thoughts on the matter. "I mean, I don't remember anything. Can I be an agent again at the drop of a hat?"

"It will take time, but you are a fast learner, Ranma," the older man complimented appraisingly. "Regardless of what you wish to do in the future, I wish to begin some martial arts training with you when I have a spare moment."

"Martial Arts? That sounds…" It sounded fantastic. The last few days, he'd been itching for some sort of conflict ever since Ukyo mentioned martial arts. Even though his body still felt weakened from being bedridden, he was eager.

"Indeed!" Fenris laughed, smirking at Ranma's dreamy expression. Even with his memory gone, the boy still lusted for battle. "I wish to see if you retained any of your skill, and perhaps, teach you some new tricks."

"Well, that sounds great," Ranma managed, finally. "When do we start?"

"Mmm," Fenris hummed as he contemplated. "I am free two weeks from now. I will meet you at the Marine Dojo at this time then."

_

* * *

_

_One month ago, three days ago…_

He slept. Darkness flooded the night, while the moon hung high, twinkling behind the stars. He lay dreaming, the lie beginning to unravel…

All the others had gone to prepare for bed, but he was still feeling too annoyed for sleep just yet. He sulked alone in front of the koi pond, tossing stones into it while nursing his injured head.

"Stupid tomboy," he mumbled, quietly to himself. He had insulted her cooking again, suggesting the sudden appearance of Cipher Pol agents in Nerima was because they were investigating the 'monsters' she created in the kitchen. As per usual, she did not take kindly to it.

While he realized it was his own fault for setting her off, it still annoyed him. Why couldn't they ever get along? After all they've been through together… He threw another rock into the pond, and sunk deeper into his funk.

"Hey!" a voice growled behind him. He turned to find Akane stomping towards him, wearing her yellow pajamas and looking _very_ upset. He didn't know what he had done now, but braced himself for the coming violence.

"Leave the fish alone!" she scolded, playfully tapping him on the top of his head as she plopped down beside him. She grinned fiendishly, giggling at his dismay.

"Uncute!" he insulted, flushing red at her trick. He tried his best not to stare at her; she looked so cute in those pajamas.

She pouted slightly, curling her lip, and punched him in the arm. "That insult is starting to lose meaning, baka."

"Feh!" he snorted playfully, rubbing his arm. He smiled at her hesitantly, earning one from her in response. His earlier annoyance with her had vanished, and they sat quietly for a few moments, enjoying the other's presence.

"How's the head?" she asked after a few moments, her tone tinged with guilt and concern. She was no doubt referring to blow she inflicted on him earlier that evening.

"It's fine," he lied, quickly. In truth, Akane's blows were getting a lot sharper in the last few months. She probably didn't even realize it.

"Sorry about your dinner," he awkwardly apologized. She had sort of apologized to him, so perhaps he should return the favor.

"It's all right. It tasted awful, anyways," she admitted sadly. "I still need lots of work." She had been practicing with her mother's cooking notes again, he realized.

"Come on," he comforted. "You'll get it one of these days." He thought himself insane, encouraging her to cook again… Still, sometimes she did get lucky.

Akane gave him a small smile, but it quickly transformed into a worrisome frown. "Ranma…" she began, a slight tremble in her throat. "It's been over a month… We should talk about it."

He knew what she was speaking of instantly. He scowled, causing her to jump. He didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to talk about how he nearly failed, about how he almost lost her, how he had to shatter a god to save her… "What's there to talk about?" he snorted derisively. "We fought, I won!"

"There's more to Jusendo than that!" she demanded fiercely. She looked enraged. He couldn't stand it, but better for her to be upset than revisit _those _events.

"No, there isn't," he stubbornly refused. His voice cracked, despite his efforts to remain firm.

"…Why?" she pleaded, worry lacing her tone. "Why are you afraid to talk about it…"

"I'm not afraid!" he fired back. _'Ranma Saotome isn't scared of anything!' _he told himself, repeating it like a mantra. It did not help. The events of Jusendo had shaken his indomitable confidence. He had been afraid; afraid for her.

"Then why won't−" she began, unwilling to give any quarter. She was always so strong-willed. He'd never admit it aloud, but it was one of the things he loved most about her. Even at her lowest, she was indomitable. He remembered Saffron, and how even on death's door, she opposed the Phoenix King with everything she had. She protected him when he was supposed to be protecting her, shielding him with her doll form from the Phoenix King's fires again and again. When it came down to it, she fought for him as hard as he fought for her.

"DAMN IT, AKANE!" he roared, interrupting her. "I almost lost! I almost lost you! You almost died!"

She cringed slightly, her frustrated growl dawning into realization. She cast her gaze downward before responding. "Ranma…" she began thoughtfully. He shuffled away, embarrassed, refusing to look at her. He froze suddenly as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, and rested her head on his back. "It's all right," she whispered. "You brought me back…"

He turned around to face her, her arms moving to grip him by the shoulders. He didn't deserve the comfort. His stupid quest for the cure had nearly gotten her killed. He had made Saffron his enemy, and Akane had suffered for it. "But I didn't…"

"You did," she silenced him. "You came through. I can always trust you to come through…"

She leaned in closer, and stared into his eyes, her face shining. He gazed back, lost in her chocolate brown orbs. He softly felt her warm breath against his shirt, and lightly smelled the shampoo of her hair. He began to lean closer to her, when a loud call interrupted them from the house.

"AKANE!" the voice of Akane's sister called from inside. "I need to borrow your black sweater for tomorrow!"

They looked away suddenly, both of them flushing red.

"Just a second!" Akane called back. She turned back to Ranma, still blushing. She stood up from the grassy yard, and grinned brightly at him, filling him with warmth. He gave her a hesitant smile, and watched as she hurried back into the house.

"Good night, Ranma."

Breathlessly, he awoke.

"What… Was… THAT!" he demanded aloud. Was it a dream? If it was, why did it feel so vivid to him… The emotions were so real. The fear, the frustration, and…

The love…

The girl… Akane, was it? For those few moments in the dream, she was the center of his world. It had felt so natural, and now that he was awake, he was… disconnected.

The love he felt in his sleep for that girl was more than he ever felt for Ukyo, his supposed fiancée. She was his only friend in all this, and he really enjoyed her company the last few weeks, though she was still a stranger to him. He forced himself to get to know her on principle, but he couldn't help but wonder if he ever loved her before he lost his memories.

Was the dream perhaps a memory from his past? It had been a month since he had awoken, and he had remembered nothing since then. Were his lost memories returning to him in his sleep? He shook his head. Nothing matched anything Ukyo or his father had told him. It must have been a dream.

With a sigh, he rolled back to sleep. He needed his rest; he would begin training with father tomorrow and he was looking forward to it. The last few weeks, besides his meals and meetings with Ukyo, he was completely and totally bored. It didn't really surprise Ranma that his father was an elite secret agent: the man had vanished like a wisp of smoke last time they spoke, and he hadn't seen him since.

* * *

Ranma arrived at the small Marine dojo the next day sopping wet and female, waiting impatiently for her father to show. Wearing a black gi that Fenris had left for her, she was feeling much more energetic than she was when she first woke up.

She poured his thermos of hot water over his head, reverting herself back to his true form. The first time he changed into a girl he had nearly passed out, having no one to explain to him how exactly he had randomly changed gender. Desperate to find out what was happening to him he had hunted down and interrupted Ukyo while she was working, much to Captain T-Bone's ire. His fiancée only laughed at him, and provided him with hot water while she explained the curse he had. Curiously, she never told him how he got it, though she was in a hurry to get back on duty.

He instantly took a dislike to being female, not enjoying the random transforming. Glades was also an especially rainy autumn island, making such changes frequent. What bothered him the most was how familiar it was. His body was obviously used to it, and knew how to move when he was in it.

They were to begin his martial arts training today. He was anxious to get started, having been spoiling for some sort of conflict since he had awoken a month before. As more time went by, he became more and more aware of how strong and trained his body was. While his mind couldn't remember anything, his body certainly could. Instincts, reactions, and reflexes began to manifest, as well as a VERY paranoid danger sense. He found himself always alert, leading him to believe that he was a government agent before.

"Ah, you are early," a voice spoke coldly at the entrance. It was Fenris, dressed in a sleeveless black gi. Tucked into a white belt was a wickedly jagged dagger which Ranma eyed warily. Fenris chuckled, catching Ranma's apprehension. "Do not worry about the knife. You are not ready for Takabachi just yet," he said, gesturing to the blade.

He stood across from Ranma on the other side of the dojo, with an amused quirk on his lips. "We will begin with testing how much you remember of the martial arts. Are you prepared?"

Ranma nodded his assent, a smug grin plastered on his face. Fenris chuckled, and suddenly blurred quickly towards the pigtailed boy, letting lose a flurry of punches and kicks. Ranma yelped in surprise, his body snapping into auto pilot. He dodged and weaved through the blows, blocking the ones he could. Pain welted and stung him every time he failed. Pride and exhilaration were overflowing as he fought, though shame and embarrassment flashed through him every time a blow hit home. Though he looked elderly and frail, the old man was strong and phenomenally fast.

Ranma consciously began to take control of his fighting, moving away from defensively reacting and trusting himself to drive his body on his own. They sparred like that for over an hour, with Ranma taking more and more control of his body's memory of martial arts. Patterns, combos, and techniques came easy to him now, and for the first time since he had forgotten, he felt as if he truly remembered something. He was soon on the offensive, applying more and more speed to his attacks and counterattacks.

But as much as Ranma tried, he still could not strike Fenris. The old man was good, furiously blocking everything with practiced ease. He pushed Ranma back onto defense, forcing the pigtailed boy to block combination after combination of punches and kicks. Ranma hopped backwards, giving him a meter of distance, and leapt high into the air over Fenris. As he landed, he kicked behind him catching Fenris in the middle of the back. The slim elder stumbled in surprise, and then composed himself as he turned to face Ranma again.

"Very good," Fenris complimented as the corners of his mouth tweaked in a small smile. "You have retained much more of your skill than I had hoped."

Ranma beamed proudly at the compliment._ 'Of course,'_ an inner voice told him. _'You're the best.'_

"You are ready for Rokushiki − the Six Forms," he said fiercely, his small smile becoming feral. "This something known only to the CP9… Something you must know, if you ever wish to succeed me…"

Succeed him? Ranma still wasn't so sure about that. Were those his plans before he lost his memory? Fighting pirates, terrorists, and criminals as a government agent… He admitted, it all sounded appealing, and he had nothing else... Plus Ukyo was in the Marines, training to be an officer. He'd like to get to know his fiancée better, and with them both working for the military, they'd have something to relate to each other.

"Attack me," Fenris ordered, dropping into a loose horse stance. "With your strongest blow. I will show you my true strength."

"My strongest? Are you sure?" he asked, a little unsure. He had only hit his father once in the entire spar, and didn't know how well he could take a hit. At Fenris' nod, he shrugged and dropped into stance. "You asked for it! Here I come!" He charged quickly, pulling his arm back to strike.

Fenris continued to wear his feral grin, unworried. "TEKKAI!" he shouted, flexing his body. Ranma pooled all his strength into his blow, quite sure it could shatter the entire dojo. It struck Fenris square in the chest, though the old man didn't even flinch.

Ranma pulled back his arm, wincing in pain. It felt like he had smacked a lump of steel.

"The first of the six forms − Tekkai," his father explained. "It turns one's body into a mass of iron," he chuckled. "Keep trying."

Ranma took him up on his challenge, and began fiercely hammering on the older man. Blows that would have shattered lesser men bounced off harmlessly. No matter what, his Tekkai would not break. Fenris was uncharacteristically still, not moving a muscle. Could it be that the user was unable to move while using this technique?

"Damn it…" Ranma cursed. He switched to extremely fast punches, focusing on a single spot and finding the strategy strangely familiar. His fists blurred and cracked in the air, building more and more velocity. Hundred of blows rained squarely on to Fenris in a space of a few seconds. Ranma gaped at the speed his body was moving at, but kept up his assault despite his surprise.

'_Clever' _Fenris thought, wincing as Ranma switched to the rapid, and focused punching. _'He could pierce the Tekkai doing that.' _He decided it best to move on from the Tekkai, and show Ranma another Rokushiki technique. "Taking blows is not Rokushiki's only strength," he announced calmly. "Kami-e."

No longer standing still, Fenris fluttered around like paper in the wind, his body unnaturally bending and weaving through Ranma's high-speed blows. No matter where or how rapidly Ranma attacked, Fenris fluttered between them, bending and shifting in ways that should have been impossible.

"With Kami-e, the user becomes like paper in the wind, flowing past all blows." Fenris announced, grinning smugly.

"Damn it!" Ranma roared as the frustration and humiliation mounted. "Hold still!" he bellowed. Losing his calm and cool, he spun a vicious round house to where Fenris was standing.

"Soru!" Fenris called. The air cracked and whipped loudly as Fenris suddenly vanished. Ranma stumbled as he hit nothing but air, and glanced around to locate his foe. Fenris was nowhere to be found… "Where are you?" he called, nervously. _'Did he… Teleport?'_

"Behind you," he heard. He spun quickly, finding Fenris standing confidently and imperiously. "Soru!" he called, vanishing again, followed with the same loud cracking of wind and air.

Ranma froze and shivered as he felt something cold pressed up against his neck. It was Fenris, and he had drawn his dagger at Ranma's throat. "With Soru," he whispered into Ranma's ear, his tone carrying such malice that Ranma had to suppress the urge to tremble, "the user can move at such a high velocity that they appear to disappear."

"Soru," Fenris repeated, vanishing again.

Feeling the cold steel withdraw from his neck, Ranma growled; the old man was playing with him. "Quit running!" he demanded.

He was in front of Ranma again, his head held high arrogantly. Replacing the dagger back to his belt, he announced, "We shall start with Soru."

Start? But he had already used it twice…

With as much speed as he could muster, Ranma charged at Fenris. Again he met nothing but air. Pain blossomed in his back as the older man appeared behind him and hammered his back with an elbow. Ranma stumbled, and tried to counterattack, only to lose his opponent as he vanished with another Soru. "DAMN!" he cursed as he lost him.

This time he reappeared, slugging Ranma in the jaw. The pigtailed martial artist crashed to the hard dojo floor, reeling from the force of the blow. He nursed his jaw and glared defiantly at Fenris as he pulled himself from the ground.

"Hmmm," Fenris murmured appraisingly as Ranma tried to regain his bearings. "You'll not learn anything that way."

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise. Learn? So this was a lesson? If he could master Fenris' own technique, he'd be able to keep up with him... "I'll show you," he taunted. He steadied himself, mirroring Fenris' own feral grin.

"We shall see," he commented drolly. "Soru!" he said, blinking out of sight with a crack of air.

Ranma's eyes widened… _'For a split second, there…' _His line of thought was brutally cut off, as Fenris bolted in front of him, viciously striking him in the gut. He gasped in pain as air left his lungs.

"SORU!" Fenris yelled, blinking away again. Ranma's eyes, which were focused low from the earlier blow, widened in surprise. A small part of the wood paneling where he stood for that one moment had cracked and exploded. He looked around the dojo, seeing other cracked spots, but only in places where he had initiated Soru. 'That might be it…'

"SORU − Issen Rendan!" Fenris yelled. Ranma gasped, as the old man blinked in and out of existence all around him. Pain exploded in him as Fenris vanished and reappeared again and again, striking him brutally in a weak spot each time. Similar cracks on the dojo floor appeared every time he moved.

Fenris finally reappeared as Ranma collapsed to the ground, badly beaten. His father didn't even appear to be winded, while Ranma lied on his back aching in pain. He was defeated, but that didn't make him angry, for he had figured it out. "Got it!" he whispered.

Fenris smirked devilishly. "Did you learn something?"

Ranma nodded his head painfully. "I noticed it when the floor cracked when you moved. They only ever appeared in one spot, on the instant you disappeared."

"Indeed," Fenris chuckled. "And why is this?"

Ranma smiled weakly. "You kick the same spot a dozen times in an instant, and it propels you around the room as a super-fast jump." Ranma explained, grinning smugly from the cold dojo floor. "You weren't running at all; you were leaping."

"Excellent," Fenris responded, small traces of delight coming through in his dour tone. "I have to attend to my duties until the end of the month. You have the basics. I expect to see Soru mastered by the time I return."

He left hastily, leaving Ranma alone and lying in pain on his back. He had not even bothered to utter a goodbye.

"What a dick," Ranma groaned to the empty room. The old man was so cold and shallow that he wasn't sure he even wanted to remember the bastard anymore. Still, he was a mean fighter, and Ranma found he respected that.

He'd have him beat, though. He'd master all those Roku-whatever tricks and beat the pants off of him. He may not remember anything, but there was one thing he knew for sure about himself…

He was the best there was.

* * *

Fenris hurried out of the dojo, quickly finding a back alley to turn into. Once he was out of Ranma's sight, he collapsed against the stone alley walls, covering his mouth with his palm. He began to haggardly cough and hack for a few minutes before it finally subsided. He removed his hand from his mouth, finding it soaked in blood. The scarlet liquid coated his fingers thickly, dribbling onto his clothes.

Using Soru so much on Ranma had taken his toll on him. It was the most exhausting of all the Rokushiki techniques, and to even his youth. The Flash Combo he had used to finish off Ranma was a huge blow to his stamina even in his youth, but to do it in his current… condition… was dangerous. He couldn't afford to squander his remaining health by showing off.

Still, it was worth it if the boy could understand Soru so quickly from that one skirmish. He had taught that technique to many CP9 agents in his thirty years of service, and only two others have ever understood it that quickly as the pigtailed boy had.

Young Ranma was a prize, one he refused to give up on since he discovered the boy. He was heading the investigation of Nerima when Fenris had discovered him and began to study him from a distance. Nerima was filled with incredible Martial Artists, but the boy shined brightest of them all.

Further rumors that he managed to defeat Saffron and Herb of Jusenkyo only enticed Fenris further. The denizens of Jusenkyo Island had been a thorn in the side of the World Government for centuries. It was one of the few places on the planet that remained autonomous from the World Government, with all their attempts of invasion and assimilation heavily resisted by the combined might of the Joketsuzoku, Musk, and Phoenix Clans. That the boy had defeated Dragon Prince Herb and Phoenix Lord Saffron was astounding….

He knew it was likely Admiral Akainu would order Buster Call against Nerima once all their findings of his investigation were presented, and the boy, along with everyone else on the island, would be eliminated. Insurmountable talent like Ranma Saotome's was not something to be wasted, so the decision to take the boy for his own was only natural.

Fenris was dying, and he knew it. He was the oldest CP9 agent still operating, and his combat effectiveness was quickly dropping. He had no doubt that Cipher Pol Director Spandam would soon replace Fenris in his goals to make the CP9 more and more powerful. Because the ninth division of Cipher Pol was completely secret from all but the highest of rank, Fenris would quickly be forgotten; he would retire and die in the background, where all of his accomplishments would fade from memory.

In addition to that, many of his own unique variations of Rokushiki would be lost. His possessions, his Art, his achievements… All forgotten.

He refused to allow this.

He had sired no children to his life, and it was too late for him to start now. To have a son that he could pass both his art and work on to… A legacy to leave behind. Ranma would be his heir, he had decided.

To this end he had recruited Kuonji Ukyo to smuggle the boy off the island. The girl, being the daughter of the Admiral's old friends, was to be one of the select few evacuated. Convincing her to drug Ranma in order to remove him from the inevitable destruction of Nerima was almost too easy.

He had also called in an old favor to Captain "Black Cage" Hina. She was in the area and, surprisingly, the ex-pirate Jango the Hypnotist had joined her crew. While Jango's hypnosis could not dramatically rewrite a person's personality like he had hoped, he could however suppress Ranma's memory with relative ease.

And all that was left was to shape the boy into the perfect son. The perfect assassin.

Things were proceeding well. Ranma had recovered rapidly from his month of captivity aboard Nezumi's and Hina's ships, and he had quickly regained his fighting skills. His natural competitiveness combined with his great thirst for battle would be perfect for drawing him into the fold. Teaching him Rokushiki would be key into leading Ranma into the world of CP9. He would join on his own, eager to learn more.

It would take months, but he would turn the boy into the perfect hunting hawk.

It was unfortunate that young Ranma was currently far too naïve and innocent to make a suitable assassin... Fenris had to gear his heart towards murder, and the only way to do that was to kill it.

And really, the best way to slay Ranma's heart was to have to trick him into doing it himself.

* * *

_21 days ago…_

"I'll get my regular, Chizuru," Ranma glumly requested as the waitress wrote down his order. He'd become a regular at this café. They had delicious sandwiches, and he always found himself there buying more for snacks.

"And for you?" Chizuru asked politely, turning to Ukyo.

"I'll get what he's having." Ukyo requested, more upbeat than her fiancé. She didn't get a chance to eat outside the soldier mess hall often, and relished any chance to eat with Ranma.

"Why the long face, Ranchan?" Ukyo finally inquired, tired of his sour gloominess.

"Ah… It's nothing," he lied.

"You've been so distant…" she groused. "More than usual," she added, sadly.

Guilt stabbed Ranma like a white hot nail jabbed through his eye. He had trouble thinking of Ukyo as anything more than a friend, with her affectionate handling of him only making him feel uncomfortable. He also felt guilty for being unable to remember the love the two might have shared before his amnesia, and the guilt was compounded with the strange dream he had had weeks ago. To his embarrassment, he found himself lusting over the imaginary dream-girl Akane far more than his own fiancée.

That wasn't what was actually bugging him at the moment, though. His discouragement stemmed from the fact that he was still having trouble with Soru. When he had sparred with Fenris, he had found himself drawing more and more power and speed from somewhere, and when he returned to the dojo the next day to train in the technique, he found he couldn't access that well of strength anymore. It was disheartening.

He could only manage four kicks in an instant, instead of the required ten or twelve. While it still propelled him pretty quickly, it was not nearly at the same level of near-invisibleness that Fenris's had.

"Aw, it's nothing…" he muttered, trying to reassure her. "Just having problem with this technique."

"Maybe I can help?" she piped, her excitement ablaze. "I've been doing martial arts since I've known you."

Ranma rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Maybe she could help? They were childhood friends according to her, so that was a long time. She was only a girl, but if he had forgotten some basics with his memory... "Well, it's a move for moving really fast."

"Well, you should be good at that!" she exclaimed. "You were the fastest, before−" Her mouth ground to a halt, and slammed shut suddenly. Before? Before he lost his memory? "You were always good at speed stuff," she clarified. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, for the move, you have to kick the ground a dozen times really fast," he explained, taking a chomp from one of the buns Chizuru bought. "And I don't think I can kick fast enough anymore."

"Anymore?" she asked curiously, taking a swig of water. "What do you mean by that?"

"When I sparred with…father the first time," he began, clenching his hands in frustration, "I felt like I was drawing extra strength from somewhere to be faster and stronger. Now I don't remember how I did that."

Ukyo twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, contemplating this complication. "Oh," she realized, "Ranchan, that was your ki you used!"

"My ki?" he asked inquisitively. The word sounded familiar... "What's that?"

"You don't remember?" she balked, her eyes going wide. "Ki is… Life force," she explained, gesturing to herself. "It sleeps and flows inside all life, and binds everything together."

Ranma frowned. Knowing that didn't help the problem.. "But how does that make me faster?" he scowled, a little impatient.

She looked hurt for a moment, before smirking impishly at him. "You're always so impatient, Ranchan," she giggled. "As martial artists, we're trained to use our ki to make us jump higher, move faster, hit harder... Watch." She closed her eyes, and after a moment, a deep yellow glow began to thicken around the girl.

Ranma could feel it. The electric jolt that hovered a short distance away from her. He was _aware _of Ukyo, and aware of the power she emanated. "How… how do you do that?"

The glow faded as she opened her eyes. "When you were sparring, you must have been controlling it sub-consciously," she explained. "In a fight, it can become instinctual."

He nodded appreciably. "But how do I get it back?"

Ukyo shrugged her shoulders, not sure how to help him. "Meditating helps," she supplied. "Personally, I like to picture crashing waves."

* * *

Later in the evening, Ranma again found himself in the Marine dojo. It was mostly empty at this time of day, with most of the soldiers too eager to be off duty than to train more. He wasn't ready to end his day just yet; he wanted to regain control of his ki.

He sat down into the dojo, crossing his legs into a lotus position. He closed his eyes and began breathing in slow, controlled breaths. Ukyo's words from earlier came to his mind.

'Picture crashing waves' she had said. He tried and focused hard while imagining a stormy beach. After a few minutes, he found no inspiration in that. "GAH!" he yelled, pounding the floor with his fist.

What was he doing wrong? She had said ki flowed through all things… Perhaps he could imagine a flowing river? He closed his eyes, beginning to focus.

No, not a flowing river, a rushing one. One that flowed through every corner of his body, carrying that divine spark of power called ki. A river of power, flowing through him…

He could feel it again… That same electric feeling that had emanated from Ukyo had now enveloped him completely. It was so much more potent now… He looked down at his hands, admiring his cerulean blue glow, enjoying the strength that now flowed through him.

But could he control it? There was only one way to test it… The blue glow faded, coiling back inside him and becoming like fire in his veins. It was time to use this energy.

He strode to the far end of the dojo, facing the wall farthest to him. "SORU!" he announced, rapidly striking the ground with his feet. He vanished with a snap of the air, shooting himself across the room, blazing and invisible like a bullet before he finally…

…crashed through the wall. The wooden partition exploded instantly, wood splintering and showering on him like fireworks. He groaned underneath the remains of the wall, buried in the shattered debris.

He had done Soru perfectly, but…

'_This is gonna be a son of a bitch to control,'_ he thought, glumly.

* * *

Controlling Soru was really, really hard, Ranma decided, nearly a week later.

No, speed was certainly no longer a problem. He had mastered that with Ukyo's help and explanations of ki, and was sure he could now go even faster than Fenris if he needed to.

No, what was driving him nuts was controlling the damn thing. At the velocity he was moving, he had no way of telling what direction he was moving or how far. Being able to cross a room in the blink of an eye meant nothing if you overshot yourself and accidentally sent yourself crashing into everything. A single twitch could send him veering ten feet off course.

He was no longer training in the Marine Dojo, as they had kicked him out after he had knocked the wall down. Now he was stuck training in an open grassy field overlooking the Gladestown, completely at the mercy of the weather and his curse.

Worse, his father was far too busy to help with his newest dilemma. Ranma had caught up with Fenris momentarily, and the only advice he could give the boy was "use your mind's eye."

Still, Ranma was determined. It was a constant battle to develop the control and senses needed to effectively move with Soru, and he had to win it bit by bit over the past week. Even his endurance had improved from using the tiring technique over and over.

To improve his sense of direction under the speed technique, he had been practicing moving in between wooden fence posts that he'd stabbed into the ground. Using it like an obstacle course, he used Soru to move from point to point. He'd change the configuration whenever he finished, forcing him to move a different distance and direction every time.

He was getting better, and made it to where he was supposed to seven out of ten times. Most of his improvement came from exploiting his danger sense, morphing it from a state of alertness to a sixth sense of awareness. He was much more mindful of a battlefield now, and was sure that was what his father meant when he had said to "use the mind's eye."

"SORU!" he called, blinking in and out of existence in between post to post. He over shot at the eighth, stumbling over it and crashing. He was breathing hard, heavily winded by the exhausting technique. Still, he grinned triumphantly as he dusted the wet grass off of his clothes. After two weeks of training, this was his best yet.

He rearranged the posts again, ready to begin anew. "SORU!" he roared, vanishing out of sight. He appeared and disappeared again at each new post, finally stumbling at the ninth this time; a new best.

A resolute smirk crossed his face; He would finish the training today, he decided.

After a few more attempts, he finally made it to the tenth post. Just to make sure, he performed it a few more times, just as flawlessly.

"Excellent," Ranma heard, and turned to find Fenris walking behind him, neatly stepping over the holes Ranma's posts had left in the ground. The pigtailed boy was so engrossed in his training he didn't see Fenris coming. "I came to check in on your progress," the older man explained.

"Hi!" Ranma breathed, gasping for air, but still wearing a victorious grin. "I think I got it."

"So I see," replied Fenris, actually looking a little proud. "Well done.

"Walk with me," Fenris asked politely, gesturing to a children's playground in the distance. Ranma shrugged his shoulders, feeling it was time for a break anyways. "You mastered Soru better than I expected," Fenris complimented.

Ranma beamed brightly. "Of course," he scoffed arrogantly, hands pressed behind the back of his head as they marched towards the playground at a fair pace. The weather was drowsy, though luckily for the cursed boy, it was not raining.

"Any chance of learning anything else?" Ranma asked, trying to contain his excitement. He wanted to learn more of those crazy techniques, as well as get to know his father better. That Tekkai thing would certainly be useful.

"Mmmm…" Fenris hummed in contemplation. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Ranma blanched. He wanted to learn! "Why maybe?"

"I am busy with my duties," he snapped, his tone vexed. "I do wish to teach you more, though I cannot make your training a priority until I receive a firm confirmation on your returning to Cipher Pol."

Ranma winced. His dad DID mention only CP9 agents knew these techniques. He had hoped for some more time before making any decisions, but if he was an agent before he lost his memory, it shouldn't be so hard. The only thing he knew how to do right now was fight, and battling criminals as a Cipher Pol officer was too tempting to his battle lust.

Plus he could work with his father, as well as be a part of the military with his fiancée. The martial arts he'd be learning were just the cherry on top. It would also take care of the complete and total boredom in between his meetings with Ukyo and his dad.

"I've been thinking about that, actually," Ranma began, slightly nervous. "I don't remember everything, but if Cipher Pol was good enough for me before, it's good enough now."

Fenris looked pleased and astonished. "That is a pleasant surprise," he grinned. "Very well, if you are willing to make that commitment, I will proceed with your training. I will send for you when I am ready."

Ranma nodded happily. They walked for a bit longer, before reaching the playground. The park wasn't far from Gladestown, with swings and slides for kids to play on. Children frolicked and played merrily, their joy un-dampened by the drizzly weather. A stone statue in the form of a man was erected in the center.

The sculpture depicted a stout man posing heroically in a martial arts gi. No face was on the statue, as its head and mouth were covered in a kerchief mask and bandana. Curiously, the statue also wore round-rimmed glasses. For some reason, the statue always looked familiar to Ranma every time he walked past it to get to his training spot. "Who is that, anyways?" he asked, sitting down at a park bench beside Fenris.

"That?" Fenris gestured to the stature scornfully. "That is the White Thief. A local legend and hero."

Fenris pretentiously stuck his nose to the air before continuing. "He is, in reality, a no one. But the townsfolk revere him," he snorted derisively.

"Why's that?" Ranma asked, curiously. "I mean, he must be important if they put up a statue of him."

"Humph. I suppose I can waste some time telling you the story."

"As you know," Fenris began, "Glades Peaks, and Gladestown in particular, has a significant military presence, though there is also a rather sizeable civilian population as well. Many years ago, it served as a command post for a rather corrupt captain."

"The captain charged the locals 'protection' money. Those who did not pay were forced to deal with his troops and lieutenants," he explained. "This continued on for some time, until a man calling himself the White Thief appeared. He broke into the Glades Command Post, and stole every beli in the base from under the captain's nose."

"Did he give the money back to the people or something? Is that why he's famous?" Ranma asked, curious.

"No!" Fenris scowled. "He kept it all for himself! The reason he is a hero is because he also stole the base's entire year of operating budget. HQ demoted the captain for such a failure, and removed him from command."

Fenris let loose a barking laugh, and continued, "The townspeople, ever appreciative of this, erected this statue in the thief's 'honor.'" He spat the word 'honor' venomously, leaving his obvious distaste for the White Thief completely obvious.

"Oh," Ranma managed, a bit confused. "Well, at least he got rid of the corrupt guy..."

"At least?" Fenris glowered. "He was a criminal that damaged the military in this area. How many people died because the navy here couldn't afford bullets to protect them?" Fenris decided it best for his argument to not mention that Marine HQ happily re-funded the corrupt captain's replacement; he had a point to make.

"Well−" Ranma began, still unsure. Fenris didn't let him respond, quickly cutting him off.

"Let me tell you another story, Ranma. One of duty and sacrifice," Fenris said crossly. "Fifteen years ago, there was a kingdom where five hundred soldiers were taken hostage by pirates."

Ranma sighed, and crossed his arms as Fenris began yet another story. At least they were sort of interesting.

"The pirate leader demanded the throne in exchange for the hostages' lives. With so many of the Kingdom's militia under ransom, there was little they could do."

"The Kingdom decided to give into their demands, forcing the World Government to intervene. An assassin was sent to resolve the matter."

"So he killed the leader and saved the hostages?" Ranma piped in. The story had sparked his interest.

"You have always been so naïve, Ranma. He did indeed kill the pirate leader," he paused for a moment, waiting for Ranma's reaction. "But as for the hostages, they were all killed."

"The pirates killed them!" Ranma gasped. "Then the World Government failed!"

"Fool," Fenris chided, clenching his hand in irritation. The pirates weren't the ones that killed the hostages, but it was best for him not to learn the full story just yet. "The pirates nearly took over the entire kingdom. Do you think their ambitions would end once they gained control of the Kingdom's resources?"

Ranma paused to think. After a moment, he sadly shook his head, agreeing with Fenris.

"Exactly," Fenris breathed. "They would have used the kingdom to wage war and expand their piracy."

He then stood from the bench, turning his back to Ranma. He crossed his arms behind him before continuing. "Though those five hundred died, many thousands may now rest safe. Is that not preferable?"

Ranma was silent, disturbed by the story. "I guess, but…" he began, hesitantly.

"We cannot save everyone," Fenris firmly interrupted, turning to face Ranma once more. "It is our duty to fight for the greater good. If a thousand can be saved with the lives of a hundred, then we must not hesitate to sacrifice those hundred.

"This is a nasty truth that you must learn to deal with," Fenris concluded, turning to leave. Ranma frowned, Fenris' comments not sitting well with him at all.

The older man began to walk away, before turning to face Ranma one last time. "I will leave you to think this over. Expect me to contact you in the next few days to continue your training."

He sauntered away from the park, leaving Ranma to his thoughts. When he was sure he was out of sight, he grinned savagely before cackling. _"_Soon, soon…" he whispered.

* * *

_Present..._

'_Crap, crap, I'm late…' _Ranma cursed, sprinting through the streets. He had arrived back at his apartment after lunch to find a messenger waiting for him. He was informed his father was waiting for him to continue his training, and had been there for half an hour already.

He had been horribly bored the last couple of weeks; Ukyo had left with T-Bone on Naval maneuvers, and his father had disappeared like he often did. He had spent nearly all his time the last week in the Marine dojo making up katas to practice. With his father back, he finally would have something important to focus on.

"Whoa there!" he gasped, rounding the corner. He nearly avoided crashing into a young Marine recruit carrying a bundle of papers. He leapt into the air, narrowly missing him as he perched on top of the brick fence beside him. The recruit yelped in surprised, stumbled, and dropped the entire bundle of parchment he was carrying.

"Sorry 'bout that," Ranma apologized. He leapt down, and helped the recruit to his feet.

"It's alright, sir," the recruit replied as he hastily dusted himself off. He knelt down to the sidewalk again, and began to re-gather the pages he was carrying. "I wasn't watching where I was going, either."

Ranma laughed lightly, and reached down to assist him in picking up the paperwork. He grabbed a page, and he nearly choked, gripping a page so hard it nearly split in two. His heart beat furiously as he dumbly stared down at the page.

"It can't be…" he awed. They were all pirate bounty posters, and clearly photographed and centered in all the pages was the girl from his dream…

Akane.

* * *

"We all loaded up?" Akane called from the upper deck. This was only their third day on the island. Paulie had patched up the ship in record time, finishing most of the incomplete construction. The ship was repainted to a bright sky blue as well, and had dried rather quickly in Seregrently's sunny weather

"Just this last bit!" Genma called, hefting a huge crate of food into the ship. Konatsu and him had gone on a last minute food run. The ninja had decided that if he was going to cook bigger portions from now on, he wanted lots of extra just in case.

Kuno was currently adjusting the sails, while Paulie was currently bickering with Nabiki about getting payment. Nabiki seemed set on keeping an extra two hundred thousand beli.

"Nabiki! Just give him back the money we agreed on!" Akane howled, eager to get underway with the voyage.

"Nooo," Nabiki whined pathetically. "We spent a lot on this island Akane, and we need to re-coup!"

"You promised him, so just give it!" the Akaken captain snapped, her tone carrying an unarguable finality.

Nabiki huffed and scowled, but ultimately succumbed to her sister's order and grudgingly paid the carpenter the promised amount. "Jeez," Paulie complained, pocketing his earnings as Nabiki stomped off. "Give her an inch, and she'll take a mile."

"…and your wallet, and your jewelry, and anything else you might have," Akane continued with a giggle, earning a barking laugh from Paulie.

The carpenter leaned against the ship rails, lighting the cigar firmly entrenched in his teeth. "So off to Glades is it?" he asked, a glower of worry etched on face. He chewed nervously on the cigar before continuing. "That's a Marine nest, isn't it? No place to sail with a Jolly Roger."

"Yeah," she replied solemnly, mirroring Paulie with her own grim frown. "But I have to. Ranma's there."

"Your fiancé, right?" he asked. He chuckled, trying to imagine what sort of man would want to marry this hellion of a woman.

Akane nodded sadly. "Yeah," she mumbled. "I miss him."

"Captain," Kuno interrupted, stressing the word 'captain' almost sarcastically. "The sails are prepped and everything is stored. We can leave whenever you wish."

"All right," the girl answered, looking a little cross. "Just give me a minute!" She turned her focus back to the carpenter.

"This is where I get off isn't it?" Paulie laughed, puffing his cigar. He reached down towards the pirate captain and gave her a hug. "I haven't known you very long, but I think I'm going to miss you crazy sisters."

"You reek of tobacco," she complained sourly in his embrace. They separated, Paulie scowling and Akane giggling. "I'm joking. We'll miss you, too."

Paulie lightly strode off the Akaken vessel, watching as they made final preparations. Akane went to handle the anchor, tightly grabbing the chain. She grunted as she hauled the massive iron anchor back onto the ship, before hanging it on the side.

"Crazy strong," Paulie muttered irritably, watching her.

"Let's set sail!" she exclaimed, ordering her crew. The sails unfurled, and the ship began to slowly slip away. The Blue Thunder powered off, ready to meet its next destination.

"Good luck finding your family," Paulie called as Akane waved goodbye. "If you're ever in Water 7, look me up!"

"See you!" Akane called back. "And no more gambling!"

He laughed and grinned devilishly one last time at the retreating vessel, before tossing his burnt out cigar into the sea.

"Raise hell!"

_To be continued…_

Note: I've created some pieces of Wild Blue fan art. You can find them linked in my profile.

**Thanks  
**To my pre-readers Kaiser Convoy and Psycho King, as well as the reviewers last week that pointed out how I messed up the spelling of Konatsu's daggers. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, also. Your support makes this worth it.

**Things to Consider**

**_Sea King: _**Giant monsters that stalk the waves of the Grand Line. They are essentially sea monsters. They vary in appearance, and some are tougher than others.

**_Drum Island:_** Mentioned in passing by the doctor examining Ranma. Also mentioned it last chapter by Paulie. It's known widely in the medical community for being so ahead of everyone else in medicine, though recent events have changed that.

**_Cipher Pol:_** Cipher Pol is sort of the CIA of the One Piece world. They run through divisions CP1 through to CP8, plus the super-secrete-elite CP9. They're spies, they're intelligence, they're soldiers, and they're also assassins.

**_Takabachi:_** Takabachi means _Hawk Bee_. Bachi is typically the suffix added to the ends of the names of species of bees and wasps. S**uzumebachi**, for example, is the name of the Japanese Hornet. Its name means "sparrow bee," referring to its huge size (Google the Japanese Hornet, I dare you… Actually, better yet, YouTube it).

The CP9 are all extremely skilled Martial Artists that practice a fighting style called Rokushiki. Some of them even have Devil Fruit powers, further enhancing their strength.

_**Rokushiki:**_This is Japanese for _Six Forms_. It's made up of six special techniques that enhance the user's basic fighting: Tekkai, Shigan, Geppou, Rankyaku, Kami-e, and Soru. All of these are from One Piece, and are used by Cipher Pol 9 agents.

_**Tekkai:**_Literally means_ Iron Mass_. This technique causes the user's muscles to become as hard as steal, able to resist all but the fiercest of blows. However, it has a disadvantage, as most Rokushiki users can't move their limbs while using Tekkai.

_**Kami-e:**_Japanese for _paper drawing_. A technique in which the user makes their body go limp in order to avoid all attacks, and float like a piece of paper.

_**Soru:**_It means _Shave_. The user kicks the same spot on the ground as many as a dozen times in single instant. This causes the user to be propelled at extremely high speeds, making them look as if they're vanishing and re-appearing in the blink of an eye. Soru is the most exhausting of all the Rokushiki, but it's easiest to learn.

_**Issen Rendan:** _Japanese for_ Flash Combo_. Basically he just rapidly uses Soru after Soru to strike his opponent's weak points again and again, overwhelming them. This is not canon, and it's an original Soru variation made up by myself.

**Mind's Eye: **This is actually a Ranma ½ concept, rather than a One Piece one. Cologne mentions it to Ryouga when he's learning the Bakusai Tenketsu that he needs to see the boulder with his mind's eye, in order to strike the right part of the rock. Unlike Ranma ½, One Piece doesn't really explain how special moves work, so I'm free to put a little Ranma-ness into the techniques.

**_The Kingdom and the Hostages:_** I suppose I should **_spoiler warning_** this, as this bit of glossary regards a very recent One Piece chapter.** _You have been warned._**

The story that Fenris tells Ranma is something that really happened in the world of One Piece. What Fenris does not reveal is WHO killed the hostages. It was actually the World Government assassin that killed them, effectively ending the hostage crisis. Following that, the assassin then killed all the pirates, resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

The agent that murdered all these people was a thirteen year old boy named Rob Lucci. He later grew to be the most powerful member of the CP9, and the World Government's senior assassin. Currently in the One Piece manga, he's engaged in epic battle with the pirate Strawhat Luffy, the hero of the series.

**Author's Notes**

I'm sorry about the lateness of this chapter, but it was HUGE. The biggest I've written yet. Also, Ranma's introduction to the story was pivotal, and I really needed to take my time in order to make sure the characters came out right.

Also regarding update times… Expect them to take longer than before.

My chapters have become much longer than they had when I originally started the story, and bringing out a chapter one a week has become too time consuming for me. 1000 words a night is my comfort speed, and writing more than that has been making me cranky. I love writing Wild Blue, and I don't want to give up on it because I accidentally made myself hate it.

At most, it just means I take a week and a half (two weeks max) for a chapter instead of one.

Anyways…

I'm rather surprised on how many readers I have that have no knowledge of One Piece. I'm trying to be extra detailed in my glossary of One Piece terms for you guys, but I'd like to recommend the manga series to you regardless. (do not watch the localized TV series, you will regret it)

The beginning is a bit slow, but it gets really good at the Arlong Park story arc. Like Ranma, it's silly with lots of fighting. It's a bit heavier on the action, and no romance sadly, but it's still pretty great. A simple Google search using the keywords "One Piece Manga" will take you to some very useful MSN groups for… uh... familiarizing yourselves with the series.

Oh, btw, I was messing around in Photoshop this week, and I shop'd together some pictures of Akane and Kuno in their Wild Blue getups. If you care to see them, they're posted in my profile. It's not much. Just quick little exercises I made to help me visualize the characters as pirates better. I'll probably do some more characters next week. There's also a bigger piece of Akane in there as well, that's much more involved then the other two. Consider them bonus for waiting so long.

This chapter was almost entirely from Ranma's perspective. Next chapter I want to make more Ukyo focused.

**Review Responses**

_Rabid Badger: _Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate it for being here every step of the way. Yeah, if you like Wild Blue, I must definitely recommend reading One Piece.

****_Ghost in the Machine: _Thanks for pointing out the nits. Secrete and Secret have been added to my search and destroy list. I'll try to keep a bigger eye out for bugs, though my mind has a bad habit of filling in the blanks and reads things how I thought I've written them. Thanks again for reviewing.

_majinbuu7985:_ Ranma isn't really under 'mind control' so much as Jango has made him forget. I really doubt Jango actually has the power to completely alter a person on the level you're thinking without turning their behavior zombie-like. As for people resisting Jango's hypnotism, nuh-uh. It's potent and has always worked instantly, and even works on Jango himself. If you think this is too overpowered to be true, remember the easiest defense against it in closing your eyes.

As for Luffy vs. Ranma… Well, I talked some things over with one of my pre-readers, and we'll see. Certainly it's something that will happen now, in some form or another (it could either be silly or dead serious, we'll see). Thanks again for your comments.

_Deepdream:_ Hi and thanks for reviewing! Sorry, I didn't update as soon like you hoped. But better late than never!

Thanks for your compliments. Though I do love using the more minor characters, I intend to use the main characters eventually. As you can see, Ranma is in this chapter. The Strawhats will appear in Book 2, and other important parts of the Ranma cast will be featured what I'm calling the Wild Blue Interludes. Glad you like Kuno, as he's a very fun character to write for.

Thank you for correcting me. I corrected Wasp Sting, only to mess it up and spell it wrong again.

_Nukem:_ Thanks for reading and reviewing. Your correction was helpful, because after I tried to correct Wasp Sting the first time, I messed it up. Two times the charm, I guess. If you like Wild Blue, I really must recommend you read One Piece.

_Joustingforcancer_: Thanks for reviewing! If you like Wild Blue, I really must recommend you read One Piece.


	6. The Angry Ghost

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma. But that's okay, because he's a jerk.

Debating to write a Fate Stay/Night fic led to this. I wanted to write it, but I was convinced I was a bad writer and shouldn't do it. So I started reading Wild Blue again to convince me to not to write. It's been so long since I've wrote it, that I can't even acknowledge it as something I wrote myself. I was a stranger to it... But as I read Wild Blue, I realized it was pretty damn good. I enjoyed reading it! Way more then the crap Fate fics I've been reading lately. And then it was, "Oh boy, I wish the author would update!" At some point I realized I was the author, and If I wanted to see where it went, I'd have to do it myself.

Anyways, this is a side story. There's a reason for this. Mostly an experiment to see if I can simplify my writing and keep it as powerful (wild blue is too ambitious, srry guys). It probably won't be as good, but it's something. I may not even proof read it. That's too much effort, and I'm willing to content myself with the victory of writing rather then the victory of writing something polished and awesome. Such is life.

**The Angry Ghost**

The world was truly a dark and cruel place.

There was a time where he thought it might be different, that there was a speck of love and happiness available for him. However that time was all gone, awash in flames and ashes.

The life that he had found, that he had learned to love, was gone. Where there once was room for love, was now a gaping hole of loss in his soul. It made him feel hollow, heavy... Empty. He embraced that emptiness, allowing it to both empower and diminish him. He was tireless now, but also a shade of what he was was. A shadowy wraith wandering the land.

So he wandered, as he always did. Except this time he had no goal, no destination. How long did he travel? Months? Years? He didn't care. He kept going. Towns, cities, jungles, swamps... He slipped through them all, like a shadow on a march.

He tried to avoid cities, but the journey took him where the journey wanted. He hated cities. Too many people. People made him remember what he lost, so he ignored them. They seemed to ignore him as well, allowing him passage unnoticed. He truly had become a ghost, and he did not care.

He was in a rural area now, the sights awash with the browns and greens hues of nature. He enjoyed nature; the tranquility of it almost put him at peace. Almost.

Unfortunately, the rural wilderness of this area was _tainted_. There was a town a head, a small one with a simple port. He'd simply reach the shore line and_ fade_. He tired of the air of this place, anyways, and wished to leave.

He walked through the town, advancing towards the waters edge. Hopefully the next place the journey took him would-

"We're with Cipher Pol! We're hear to kill the revolutionary leaders!" cried out a child-like voice. The ghost stopped, startled out of his reverie. He focussed his gaze on the _thing_ that just spoke. He was content to ignore humanity, however the owner of the voice was too bizarre to simply forget. The man, if it could be called that, was as large as it was spherical. It's body was that of a great ball, with twig like arms and legs, and dressed in a black suit. His mouth seemed to have a zipper attached to it, and it spoke with the voice of a child! It was huge, towering above almost everything else. The ghost chuckled at the sight of the thing, amused by it's grotesqueness.

"YOYOI! FUKUROU! We're supposed to be under cover! Now we gotta do this hard!" yelled another towering giant, apparently in the company of the ballman. He was almost as large, and wore face paint and had a great mane of hair. Over his shoulder he hefted a huge staff. The ghost thought his hair made him look lion-like.

"Great. Just great. Fukurou, just typical! Now we gotta kill everyone!" a third man yelled angrily. This one was normal-sized, and wore a goatee and a pigtail, as well as black oriental shirts and pants. Sunglasses rested on his forehead and across his left eye, there was a jagged scar. The man's pigtail and raiment reminded the ghost of a someone he once knew, but that was where the similarities ended. There was something _sharp _to this man, an air of danger present around him. He turned to the crowd of people around him, no scrambling in horror. The crowd was panicking now, and began scattering in all directions. "Now you're all dead! All you revolutionaries!"

As the crowd began to disperse, more more men rushed forward armed with swords and pistols. The revolutionaries? Or perhaps the town militia? the ghost wasn't sure, but that did not matter. Soldier and Innocent was crushed under the trios boot heel alike. They were truly beasts, the Ghost realized, as they tore into all around them with supernatural precision and speed. They dogged after the fleeing townspeople, viciously tossing them around like rag dolls. Blood was in the air.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, the ghost felt _compelled_. He watched the mayhem, torn in indecision. Old ideals fought with his desire to be left alone. Dare he interfere?

He watched as Lionhair skewered a woman with his staff, watched the blood run down the weapon, felt her spark of life leave her... He knew what he must do to do.

"NO!" cried the ghost, drawing attention to himself to the first time in months. He growled angrily, channeling his power. The hollowness in his soul expanded around him, leaking the very fires of his spirit to the world to see. He bathed himself in a sickly green flame, channeling this force for the first time in months. In the back of his mind, he noted this was the greatest it had ever been. "No more slaughter."

The stocky man with the goatee and pigtail growled, and stomped towards the strange newcomer. He was either arrogant or stupid, perhaps both, but he was unafraid of the ghost bathed in green flames. "Who do you think you're talking to, man? We're the CP9!" The ghost paid no heed to the warning, and simply rushed forward and struck the man. There was a huge flash of green light as the ghost's fist made contact, the sound of thunder, and then the pigtailed man went flying.

"Jyabura!" cried out the ballthing, it's child like voice almost a squeal. His stubby arms dropped the body of a man he just crushed. The ghost felt the victim slipping away, the embers of life cooling and fading. The fat ball creature and Lionhair, noticing their comrade was so quickly dispatched, began to hesitantly advance on the ghost.

The ball-thing darted forward with uncanny speed. "JUGON!" it cried, managing to strike the ghost in the chest. The blow was no normal punch, and the ghost could read the thing's power flowing through it like a book. The power left it's fist on contact with the ghost, becoming a stinging like strike that stabbed deep into his body. It was supposed to be a piercing move, the ghost realized, but it failed to cause the ghost any damage more then a sharp pain. He absorbed the feeling with grunt. He'd taken worse in the past, and he was much greater now.

The fat ball creature gaped in surprise at how effortlessly it's attack was rejected. That moment of confusion was all it took for the ghost to grab forward and grip it be the collar. The ghost laughed, and hoisted himself on top of the whimpering ballman. From his new vantage, he reared his fist back and struck the grotesque mockery between the eyes, a bright green flash accompanying the blow. The ballman squealed in agony as the sizzling fist impacted his face. The ghost struck a second time with another flashing green punch, resulting in a second pathetic cry. He hopped off the ball thing and spat on it, leaving it mewling pathetically as it crumpled on the ground.

Lionhair, who had been more hesitant and cautious until now, advanced with his staff, jabbing the point forward like lightning. The ghost deftly dodged, and grabbed the outstretched staff in his left hand. He held it effortlessly with one hand, refusing to let go. Frustrated, Lionhair began to tug at the staff, trying to reclaim it. It wouldn't budge.

The ghost laughed, and began channeling the sickly fire of his aura into his free hand hand. The green flames that surrounded the shadowy warrior and began to collect into his palm. It formed into a sphere the size of a softball, before ballooning greatly in size. The ghost smiled darkly, and began to squeeze the swelling power, forcing in back into the softball-sized shape. By compressing so much it, it became so much more potent and focussed.

"Yoyoi! What's this?" cried Lionhair in bewilderment and fear. He wasn't used to being afraid, the ghost noted. _Good._

"Shishi..." the ghost whispered, in almost a silent prayer, "...Hokodan!"

The sickly green ball shot out from his palm, and flying true. It struck Lionhair, bathing him in green light and pushing him back dozens of meters with in seconds. He skidded across the ground pitifully, leaving a huge trail of upturned soil as the blast carried him away. Finally, it dissipated, leaving Lionhair limp in a small crater over fifty meters away from where last stood.

The ghost grinned evilly, and turned his attention back to the ballman. The creature was still mewling pathetically, nursing the two blows the ghost had delivered before. The ghost grabbed the fool by it's spindly feet, and hoisted the ballman in the air. Then, with a deafening crash, he slammed the creature back into the ground. A huge cloud of dust kicked up into the air at the impact, as well as another flash of green. The ballmen gave a brief squeek before consciousness fled it.

The ghost wasn't done, though. He felt GOOD. He continued to slam. Blood began to flow, green light booming with each strike as the mutilated body met the earth again and again. The ghost was cackling now, lost in the thrill of delivering pain.

"DROP THE OWL! RANKYAKU!" a hoarse voice called. The ghost felt the power, felt the danger. He discarded the ballman, and jerked aside just in time. He felt a gust of wind, a stinging sensation, and looked down to find his shirt slashed and a small bleeding gash on his chest. He had had not been struck directly however... It was as if the very air had cut him.

He growled, and turned to face his new opponent... And blinked in surprise. Facing him a dozen feet away was the the goatee-pigtailed guy from before... However... He wasn't even human anymore. He stood twice as tall, three times as wide... Fur had sprouted all over his body, and huge teethed jaw had replaced his old face. He even had a tail.

He had become a wolfman.

"RANKYAKU!" the wolfman cried, slashing angrily from his leg. The ghost sensed the power from the attack, and braced himself to dodge. He felt a breeze, like before, and narrowly dodged the slash of wind. Not fast enough, however, as another cut appeared on his arm. The ghost growled; speed was never his strong suit. Too many of those storm kicks could end him. "There's no holding back now! Inu Inu Fruit! Model: Wolf!"

"Who do you think you are that you think you can mess with CP9?" the wolf demanded, rearing his leg up for another of those razor sharp kicks. The ghost had no answer, and simply began gathering his green fire into his hand like before.

"RANKYAKU!"

"SHISHIHOKODAN!"

The air blade met the green flame in midair and tore through it. The wolfman was frozen in shock. His air kick had diminished it, but the fiery green blast was still huge. "TEKKAI!" the wolf managed to call out, freezing into a new stance.

The ghost watched curiously, as the wolfman took the blast head long. He felt the power flow through the wolf, like before, this time defensively. A protection technique? Would it help? "Ite ite!" the wolf complained, brushing his long clawed hands through his fur. "Hot!" A shame, the ghost thought. He could absorb the impact, but not the heat. Most of the bite of the attack was in the impact.

The ghost growled, and fired another. The wolfman eeped, and resumed the same stance as before, preparing to absorb the impact. The ghost followed this shot however, and launched a cruel blow to the wolf's immense gut. Green light blazed with the strike. "OOP!" the wolf gasped, his shield technique shuddering.

The ghost was on him now, with an onslaught of punch after punch, kick after kick. Green light bathed everything, as each blow from the ghost flashed emerald. "Tekkai Kenpo!" the wolf yelled, desperately trying to defend and attack with the technique on. He tried to claw and kick, but the ghost either dodged or ignored the wolfman's attempts. The ghosts blows were even mightier then the wolf's, each one shaking the core of his opponent. The ghost could feel the power of his foe's defensive technique faltering with each hit. No quarter, was made.

"AWOOOO!" the wolf howled as each strike left him more and more diminished. The shield of the 'tekkai' was cracked now. The ghost grabbed both the arms of his opponent and locked them underneath his arms, pinning them. Grinning fiercely, the ghost followed the grapple with a fierce head butt. The wolf let loose another mewling howl as it flinched, now stunned from the blow.

The ghost cackled happily, immersed in the joy of battle! Still holding the wolf's immense arms, he began channeling his sickly green aura into the sky above him. He had the wolf where he wanted him, and there was no escape. The townsfolk were clear now, and the blast could come cascading down and destroy these _things_. Despite the empty power he was channeling, he never felt more alive! He'd kill these monsters with his greatest attack, and continue on from-

He twitched and he felt a cold drop on his forehead.

_No._

More drops continued to fall, knocking him from battle-reverie, his dark thoughts of murder. Soon it was a full down poor. The water enveloped the ghost, and he cursed himself for his luck. He felt the sensation of _falling, twisting, and shrinking._ Of all the times...

The ghost squealed angrily, trying to move his new form from the clothes he was trapped in. He had to get away before the wolf figured it out.

The wolfman shifted himself to human again as he picked himself off from the ground, still quite stunned. He blinked a few times, and his glare started darting around suddenly, searching for an opponent who was now nowhere to be seen. He dropped to his knees, his hands running through the Ghost's discarded clothing. He blinked in surprise, finding a small piglet nestled inside. Wolfman picked up the pig in bewilderment, causing it to squeal in rage. A look of insight and understanding suddenly blossomed onto the wolf's face. "So that's what happened!"

_Oh no.  
_

"HAH! He's afraid of me! He used, like, a ninja replacement trick or something to escape!" the wolfman declared happily. "Stupid guy! Ninjas are supposed to use logs and stuff! Not pigs!"

The ghost was dumbfounded, becoming frozen in the wolfman' hands. Saved by such foolishness...

Lionhair came trotting up behind the wolf, gasping for air. "Fukurou... He's messed up pretty bad...!" Lionhair moaned, as he limped towards the ghost and the wolfman. He looked badly beaten, his clothes destroyed and covered in soot. Despite his dire tone and appearance, he picked up in excitement, "...but so are the targets! Yoyoiyoi! I slipped away to finish the mission!"

The ghost glared. He'd kill them all when the chance came, he just needed to get away. He spun around, trying to flip himself up and bite the wolfman's fingers, however the wolfman ignored the attempt and kept talking. "That guy was something else! I managed to scare him off!"

"I knew Jyabura could handle it!" Lionhair puffed up and patted the wolfman on his shoulder. He paused for a moment, examining the ghost in his changed form, stuck in wolfman's hands "Yoyoi! What do you got there?" he asked, as the ghost finally succeeded in biting the hand that held him.

"Ahhh! This pig has attitude!" the wolfman declared happily, nearly dropping the pigletified ghost. The wolfman obliviously tossed the transformed ghost in the air, and caught him between his palms. "He's a ninja pig! He's way cooler then Lucci's pigeon! I'm keeping him!"

Ninja pig?

The angry ghost was not amused.

**Authors notes: **Fun times. I bet you can guess who the 'Ghost' is easy. He's not quite human anymore, and very powerful. Remember kids, don't do Shishihokodans!

Update: I suppose it should be noted that I made it so Fukurou is no longer killed. I don't know if I ever want to continue Wild Blue, but I wasn't comfortable letting the story lie on that note. Truthfully, the whole fic is a giant mess that embarrasses me, and it was all I could do to stop myself from making more edits.


End file.
